After just ten and a half days of training on the water and in the simulator, the Germany SailGP team started its SailGP premiere with modest goals. Becoming safe, optimising manoeuvre sequences, getting around the course properly - that was the plan of helmsman Erik Heil and his crew of strategist Kahena Kunze, wing trimmer Stuart Bithell, flight controller James Wierzbowski and grinders Joe Sullivan and Dann Morris for the start.
Our starts didn't have the highest priority at the start" (Erik Heil)
In the concert of the sailing superpowers, the German team has already managed some things very well, while others - in line with their own expectations - could be improved. "Our starts were still very cautious and conservative. That wasn't our top priority at the start," reported Erik Heil from Chicago.
In all three races, it was clear to see that the crew on the German F50 were newcomers and were competing in the leading professional league for the first time. Nevertheless, the Germany SailGP team left the good impression that they had nothing to hide. In the first race, the team was in the top five for a long time, at times even in fourth place. It wasn't just the SailGP commentators who were impressed by the new German team. The fact that they only finished in eighth place was due to the fact that the final phase failed.
Freestyle to the finish line
"There was a bit of excitement at the end," admits Erik Heil candidly. The on-board screen had also failed. "We no longer knew what setting we were on. We had to freestyle (laughs) and slowed down on the last cross and lost a lot. That was a bit unpleasant because the others were able to catch up. Our manoeuvre also came too late. The first thing we had to do on board was to maintain the flow of communication and not squeeze anything else in."
A mistake also caused losses in the second race: on the fifth section of the course, the Germany SailGP team fell off the foils in a promising position and had to let many competitors pass. "Normally this is a flight controller issue, but I don't want to rule out the possibility that I was involved," said Erik Heil.
I was glad that we got through the races with only one crash" (Erik Heil)
The two-time Olympic bronze medallist in the 49er explains that the short race course on Lake Michigan has its pitfalls: "At the bottom, when you come in on the race course, there's a lot of swell. And when the swell is there, you suddenly have a metre of wave. And that metre on the foil is a world. If you're flying relatively high - and you only have 20 centimetres of foil left - and then you stop in an area where it's wavy, then you have to fly much lower. I think we were just too far up for the wave that was coming. I was expecting things like that to happen. I was just glad that we got through the races with only one crash, because it's a real pain when you have to get going again after braking hard."
In the second race, the German team picked up a penalty even before the start when they narrowly overshot the course limit. "I thought we would make it, but I didn't pay close enough attention to the screen. So I spun and thought we were probably still in it." In race three, after finishing eighth in the second heat, the German team even managed to move up to seventh place towards the end with good speeds.
We have a good feeling that we have a chance of finishing in the top five" (Erik Heil)
"After the first day, we're happy that things got off to such a good start. We didn't embarrass ourselves, got around the course safely and didn't lag 300 metres behind. We even caught up at the end, which I thought was the best thing. That was the most important step we managed to take in the first races. It was cool, there was a lot going on out there and we have a good feeling that we have a chance of finishing in the top five, which is very good."
Erik Heil is expecting lighter winds for the second day of racing at the season opener off Chicago. "I think we will be sailing with the big wings and it will be humane on the course."
SailGP dominator Tom Slingsby remains in front
Meanwhile, Tom Slingsby and his Australia SailGP Team picked up where they left off with their third consecutive win of the season in San Francisco: with two wins on the day and a fifth place, the green and yellow team went straight back to the top of the standings after the first of the two days of racing at the Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix in Chicago. They were followed by the teams from New Zealand and Canada after three races.
SailGP dominator Tom Slingsby reacted in high spirits: "We had a great day. We sailed really well, it was beautiful today. The wind was blowing perfectly in line with the shore. It's an exciting start line where you have to decide whether to start from the inside or the outside. I liked the race course."
Kiwis in good form, Jimmy Spithill sails behind
America's Cup defender Peter Burling was also very pleased with his team's start to the season. Burling said: "It was a great day out there - really pleasing for us as a team. We sailed the boat consistently on a challenging course, tried a few things and I think that paid off in the results."
For Jimmy Spithill and the United States SailGP Team, it was a day to forget with ninth place in the standings after three races. Spithill was disappointed not to be able to show more of his team to the home fans and said: "The conditions were great, the course was fun and it was nice to see all the spectators. It was a really difficult day for us, frustrating. But that's the sport. You just have to keep coming back: We have to learn the lessons, go out there and try to get some good results."
Action! Click here for the highlights of day one:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
