The good news for the fans came right at the start of the German SailGP premiere in Sassnitz: the international racing series has come to Germany to stay. The fastest sailing racing series will be guesting in Germany for at least two more years. Together with Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Minister President Manuela Schwesig, the league organisers confirmed on the first of the two days of racing at the sailing spectacle in Sassnitz that a Germany SailGP will also be held in 2026 and 2027.
SailGP in Sassnitz: When the water shakes...
This fitted in well with the jubilant start of the Germany SailGP team. Erik Heil and his crew won the first race in front of a roaring crowd. The finish line off Sassnitz was only around 100 metres in front of the large grandstands. It was live entertainment - also for the sailors on the water, who were inspired by the spectacle. Helmsman Erik Kosegarten-Heil said in the evening: "It was something very special! We felt the vibrations of the fans."
Seeing the German flags there in the stands is something we've never seen before in our lives." Erik Kosegarten-Heil
Since this 16 August, it has been clear that it will not be the last experience of its kind. The SailGP will remain faithful to Germany as event organiser. The date for the sixth SailGP season has already been finalised. The speeding F50 foilers will once again be racing in front of Sassnitz and Rügen's chalk cliffs on 22 and 23 August 2026.
The official Yes for more SailGP in Germany
The course for the decision had already been set behind the scenes before the first starting signal. The official yes to further SailGPs in Germany came in the middle of the races on day one.
This strong debut in Germany confirms our assessment that it is an important market for us." Russell Coutts
League CEO Russell Coutts said this in Sassnitz with a view to the sold-out XL grandstands and the racing stadium with almost 6,000 visitors per day. The five-time America's Cup winner and Olympic champion also said, who developed the SailGP racing series in 2018 with co-founder Larry Ellison and pushed it into the limelight with the inaugural season in 2019"With our long-term commitment, we not only want to offer thrilling sailing sport, but also provide impetus for sailing in Germany."
The Baltic Sea arena provided perfect sailing conditions on the first of the two race days for the fleet, which had been reduced to eleven foilers after the Brazilian beam and mast breakage on Friday. The Danish team led by helmsman Nicolai Sehested set a new speed record of 103.93 kilometres per hour. Sehested would have gladly traded it for a better intermediate result than seventh place after four races, but also said: "It's always fun to be fast."
An important milestone for Sassnitz
While the SailGP fleet offered spectacular sailing sport for the audience in crisp, but also shifting winds, Minister President Manuela Schwesig was also delighted about two more years of SailGP in Germany and at least one more edition in Sassnitz. She said: "This commitment is an important milestone for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern."
Manuela Schwesig continued: "We are delighted that this high-calibre sailing competition is taking place here in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Sassnitz offers excellent conditions and a great backdrop for the SailGP. The competition is the best advertisement for sailing and for our state."
The Germany SailGP Team, founded in 2023 by communications technology entrepreneur Thomas Riedel and four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel, played a key role in the choice of Sassnitz as the venue. Its Managing Director Tim Krieglstein said: "Sassnitz is impressively demonstrating that it offers the perfect conditions for top-class sport on the water."
The enthusiasm of the German fans is overwhelming." Tim Krieglstein
The German racing team wants to use the "certainty of being able to compete in front of a home crowd in the coming years" as a "tailwind for their sporting goals". Whether it was the mixture of the pre-training days granted by the league and the massive support of the fans on site: Black-Red-Gold put in an overall performance worth seeing on the first SailGP day in Sassnitz.
It was cool today. Of course, the box was very tippy. The fleet was very aggressive." Erik Kosegarten-Heil
The German race win was followed by 7th, 7th and 6th place, which was strong enough for fourth place with 23 points overall behind Tom Slingsby's outstanding Bonds Flying Roos (32 points), Peter Burling's Black Foils (24 points) and Quentin Delapierre's Les Bleus (24 points). Tom Slingsby said in Sassnitz harbour that evening: "Let's be honest, it's a new event here. I don't think we could be happier. It was windy, shifty with smooth water. A great race course. Huge crowds of fans. It's a pleasure to be a part of it."
More power for SailGP Sunday
On Sunday, they will continue with the slightly larger 24-metre wings from 3.30 pm. "We'll have a bit more power in the boat," said Erik Kosegarten-Heil, who also admitted that his crew had a few weaknesses in the leeward roundings. However, his team will start day two with confidence. How the two boats will continue after the collision between the US team and Team Emirates GBR was not entirely clear to the skippers involved in the evening.
"We have considerable damage to the hull. I hope we get back on the water. Then we'll see what happens. We'll have to wait and see what the tech team says, but I'm hopeful," said driver Dylan Fletcher from Team Emirates GBR on Saturday evening. Dylan Fletcher described the "collision" between the Americans and his boat as "sinking". The rudder had been damaged, but was still in place.
However, apart from the crash moment, the day was "fantastic for the sport", said the America's Cup helmsman for the British team. The US team had crashed into the British foiler without a right of way. After finishing third in the opening race and fourth in the third race, Taylor Canfiled's crew - bottom of the league after seven events - initially seemed to have rediscovered their form. The crash robbed them of their own hopes. In the collision, the front of their port bow was torn off, while the Brits had a hole in their boat.
The new speed record for Rockwool Racing:
The collision between the US team and Team Emirates GBR:
