New podcast episodeA 21-year-old strategist at SailGP in Sassnitz – with Anna Barth

David Ingelfinger

 · 21.08.2026

At 21, Anna Barth is one of the youngest professionals in SailGP – she is aiming to reach the final with the German team at their home race in Sassnitz.
Photo: Ricardo Pinto for SailGP - German Sailing Team / Felix Diemer
At 21, Anna Barth is one of the youngest professionals in SailGP and will be competing this weekend in her home race in Sassnitz. As the German team’s strategist, she’ll be racing across the Baltic Sea at nearly 100 kilometres per hour. Her goal is clear: she wants to take the German boat through to the final.

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In the 86th episode of the YACHT sailing podcast, the SailGP strategist talks to host Timm Kruse about her work on board the F50 catamaran, the home race in Sassnitz and a key decision for her career.

The star of the German team

As the strategist in the rearmost seat of the F50’s cockpit, Anna Barth has a bird’s-eye view of the entire race. Whilst skipper Erik Heil steers the catamaran, she keeps track of the entire course. She monitors the other boats, covers blind spots and provides her crew with crucial information. Everything happens in fractions of a second and at extremely high speeds. In the podcast, the sailor talks about what it felt like to be on board an F50 catamaran for the first time and explains the finer points that matter during a race.

Home race in Sassnitz

For the 21-year-old athlete, the home race in Sassnitz It’s nothing new. Last year, the team was literally swept away by the fans’ energy. In the podcast, she talks about the strategy for the weekend and what the German team still needs to reach the very top. She also gives an insight into the week of preparation in Kiel and the planned training base in Pensacola.

Between SailGP and the Olympics

As well as her involvement in SailGP, Anna Barth an Olympic campaign in the 49erFX class together with 18-year-old Emma Kohlhoff. Los Angeles 2028 is one goal; Brisbane 2032 is the bigger one. She realises that at some point, it will be difficult to reconcile both projects. In this interview, she explains why she would follow the same path again exactly as she has done so far, what role Erik Heil plays as a calm anchor in the team, and how she is coming to terms with the decision she will have to face sooner or later.


You can listen to YACHT’s sailing podcast with Anna Barth here

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Weit entfernt von den Küsten im Rhein-Main-Gebiet aufgewachsen, fand David Ingelfinger erst im Alter von elf Jahren auf den niederländischen Gewässern zum Segelsport. Was als Familienurlaub ohne großartige Vorkenntnisse begann, mündete in einer steilen Lernkurve, aus der die dauerhafte Leidenschaft fürs Segeln entsprang. Seine praktischen Erfahrungen festigte er über die Jahre mit dem Erwerb des SKS und zahlreichen Meilen als Skipper auf Charteryachten im Ijsselmeer, der Nordsee sowie im Mittelmeer. Nach seinem Studium der Publizistik schlägt er nun die Brücke zwischen dem journalistischen Handwerk und der Praxis auf dem Wasser und bringt seine Begeisterung für den Sport als Volontär in die Redaktion der YACHT ein.

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