SailGP: The golden summit storm - Team Germany without wind a force to be reckoned with
Tatjana Pokorny
· 21.09.2025
It was a thriller for the spectators and a constant stress test for the sailors: The first Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix brought the expected light wind battle against an Alpine backdrop. The Germany SailGP Team was right in the middle of it all, not doing badly on the first of the two race days, but unable to capitalise on good positions at the start.
SailGP: the first victory in the team's history
The second and final day looked like something from another film. Helmsman Erik Kosegarten-Heil and his only two fellow competitors turned the extremely light winds on Lake Geneva into their strength. They opened the day with a race win and followed it up with third place in the most difficult conditions. "Very little wind is no fun, but when we have a chance to foil, the three of us like it," said Erik Kosegarten-Heil in the evening in Geneva.
"Beautiful starts from Erik today!" Stuart Bithell
Suddenly, the first final in the team's history had been achieved. Reduced to three crew members on both days due to the flat conditions, the German team (like everyone else) made the most of the opportunity. With another successful start to the final, the trio benefited from their own good positioning and good timing. In contrast to the previous day, where the good starting position was followed by too many losses over the course, things went according to plan on Sunday in this area too.
Hectic after quick final whistle
"We really worked extremely hard on the starts," said Erik Kosegarten-Heil, commenting on the visible improvements in the extreme light wind conditions. What had long been clear in their heads finally worked. In contrast, the final got off to a hectic start for both opponents, as the Swiss were surprised by the quick restart after some waiting time.
"We had a very short notice for the medal race," said Erik Kosegarten-Heil, explaining the scenario in which his team was able to start downwind and with the shortest route to the first turning mark, while the Australians and Swiss were directly in conflict. The German rider describes what had happened while waiting for the final start: "Suddenly there were only two minutes to the start. We were just behind the first buoy and the Swiss were still stuck at the first buoy on the rib. I just thought, oh my goodness. Then we were off."
The Swiss then announced that they did not yet have a Wingstream. Which is why the final was postponed by another minute. "As a result, the Australians were too early and came back again. And we actually had good timing to go into the pits. That's why the Swiss and the Australians came in at the same time. We had a good situation," says Erik Kosegarten-Heil about the start scenario.
High tension in the German racing team
The rider describes the subsequent start and finish victory for Team Germany as an "extremely good race". The key to victory in the flat winds was once again the art of keeping the F50 machines on the foils. This was not always successful, but often enough. Although Tom Slingsby and the Bonds Flying Roos were able to close the gap to Black-Red-Gold when the German foiler got stuck in the waves, this time Erik Kosegarten-Heil, Stu Bithell and flight controller James Wierzbowski got back on track in time.
While the team mates on the support boats could hardly stand the tension, Anna Barth held her hands in front of her eyes and everyone held their breath, the white and blue catamaran of the Germany SailGP Team powered by Deutsche Bank glided towards the finish line in slow motion. The trio on board completed the race with aplomb, giving neither the Australians nor the home team a chance. Erik Kosegarten-Heil then raised his fist to the sky above Lake Geneva, and the cheers on board the support boats knew no bounds.
The team had suffered many setbacks, especially in this, their second year in the league, and initially dropped to last place in the league after a flurry of penalties early in the season in Sydney. Things went inspiringly better at the home event in Sassnitz in August with fifth place. One week before the Swiss SailGP freshwater premiere, Team Germany had already achieved fourth place off Saint-Tropez in a continuing upward trend.
Light winds, strong performance
The increasingly successful German game in the showdown with the elite in Formula 1 sailing has now culminated in the historic first team victory on Lake Geneva. The success was also somewhat reminiscent of Erik Kosegarten-Heil's qualities from his Olympic days. Even during his Olympic campaigns with Thomas Plößel in the 49er, he was regarded as a helmsman who coped well with difficult light wind conditions.
I like it when things get tricky." Erik Kosegarten-Heil
The Berlin native, who won Olympic bronze medals in the 49er in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and in Enoshima, Japan, in 2021, has said this many times. He wouldn't have given up either of his two medals for a win in the SailGP, and yet a long-awaited and hard-earned wish has been fulfilled with the successful summit storm in Switzerland. "The team," says Erik Kosegarten-Heil, "has worked so hard for so long to achieve this success. It's really, really nice!"
In the SailGP season standings, Team Germany (23 points) has now moved up to ninth place, a position no longer thought possible after the black day in Sydney. The teams Red Bull Italy (22 points), Mubadala Brazil (14 points) and the hapless Americans (minus 7 points) have left them behind for the time being. The Danish team Rockwool Racing is in eighth place with 31 points ahead of the last two events of the fifth SailGP season.
Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand in the lead
Two events before the end of the fifth SailGP season, the season championship is led by Bonds Flying Roos (76 points) ahead of Emirates GBR (75 points) and New Zealand's Black Foils (73 points). After the penultimate event on 3 and 4 October in Cádiz, the final of the series, which is worth a total of 12.8 million US dollars, will take place on 29 and 30 November in Abu Dhabi.
Happy chaos reigned in the German team camp and in the workshop container after the golden summit storm in Switzerland that evening. "The whole floor is full of champagne bottles," laughed Erik Kosegarten-Heil. He enjoyed the exuberance of his team.
However, the co-initiator of the German SailGP commitment also said: "We cannot overestimate this success. We were able to have good races here thanks to the starts. We were a bit lucky that the other two teams held up a bit in the final. We didn't have luck on our side in Sassnitz, although we deserved it there. That's why it's come back a bit here."
We are happy that it has now worked out. But this is a snapshot and not yet where we are now." Erik Kosegarten-Heil
Learning from the best for SailGP success
According to the doctor from Strande, the Australians had "set the benchmark for how to sail the boat" on Lake Geneva. Erik Kosegarten Heil said: "I would have thought that they would have won the race by a mile because they were the only ones with sailing time on the new foils. They were extremely precise." Accordingly, Team Germany also studied the green and yellows thoroughly at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix. Team Germany's success also made this work with coaches Lennart Briesenick and Jacopo Plazzi Marzotto seem more than worthwhile.
