"Everyone arrived last year with big question marks. Now Sassnitz is a season favourite.”

SailGP returns to Rügen for a second year. New York may have the landmarks. But Sassnitz has speed records, wild nature scenery, roaring crowds and the attention of an entire island

SailGP Sassnitz - Image Credit: JN for SailGP

When SailGP arrived in Sassnitz last year it was not an established international sailing venue or a global sports city. Then more than 13,000 people turned up, Germany won the opening race and ROCKWOOL Racing hit 103.93 km/h - 56.2 knots - to set a new SailGP racing speed record.

Not bad for a debut. This weekend, the fleet comes back.

The ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix on 22–23 August is the ninth Grand Prix of the 2026 season. The grandstands have been expanded, the event is almost sold out and SailGP expects Sassnitz to be among the three best-attended events of the season.

“In Sassnitz, we are the story. From the coffee shop to the people working in the harbour. For many teams, it’s a highlight of the season.” - Erik Heil

The Lowdown

• Sassnitz has gone from experiment to serious SailGP stop in one year. More than 13,000 attended the 2025 debut; the extended 2026 event is almost sold out.

• The course is fast. Flat Baltic water can unlock huge speed, but shifting winds, chop and the seawall can quickly catch crews out.

• ROCKWOOL now owns both the title rights and the fastest number in Sassnitz. The Danish company is the event’s first Title Partner; its team holds the 103.93 km/h record.

• Team Germany knows where to improve. Starts have been the biggest problem, and Erik Heil, Anna Barth and Kevin Peponnet have spent the build-up drilling communication.

  Progress is real, but inconsistent. Germany reached the podium in Bermuda. Heil’s target is sixth overall.

  
  

Germany comes back to Sassnitz having proved it can win races and reach podiums. That has created a new problem: “close” no longer feels like progress.

“Being close to the podium isn’t as satisfying as actually being on the podium.”

Heil’s target is sixth overall, and the team believes its speed has improved faster than its results.

Starts remain the obvious weakness. Before Sassnitz, Heil, Barth and wing trimmer Kevin Peponnet have been working through start communication and simulator scenarios in Kiel.

The frustrating part is repetition.

“We come up with an idea … and then we have five race starts to test whether it works.”

For a championship drenched in data, one of its scarcest resources remains painfully analogue: practice.

“Boat speed depends on at least three or four people executing in sync.”

The easy version of speed is horsepower. The awkward version is colleagues.

If Heil steers too much, if the wing is adjusted too aggressively or the flight height keeps changing, the whole boat suffers.

Nobody needs to make a huge mistake. Several people making slightly different correct decisions can be enough.

“We’re basically trying to align ourselves so the boat moves around as little as possible, while still being precise.”

That becomes particularly relevant in Sassnitz. The Baltic can offer flat water and enough breeze for enormous speed, but conditions can shift quickly. August winds average around 10–12 knots, while westerlies can produce abrupt changes in pressure and direction. Water rebounding from the seawall can make the bottom of the course messy too.

Fast does not mean simple.

“When you lose a point, it costs you much more.”

SailGP’s new split-fleet format means fewer boats on the course at once.

Fewer boats reduce some of the chaos. They also make every bad decision easier to see. Anna Barth sees the trade-off. There are cleaner tactical lanes and more room to respond to the wind. But every position becomes more valuable.

“It opens the door again to more match-racing situations.”

“The grandstand was genuinely shaking.”

Before the first Sassnitz event, even rival teams arrived unsure what to expect.

“Everyone arrived with big question marks.”

Then Germany won the first race.

Barth remembers the noise breaking through the team’s onboard communications.

“In that moment, you could really hear them.”

The layout helps. The racecourse sits directly in front of the shore, while the harbour and hillside mean people outside the grandstands can still see and feel the event. Events need scarcity to sell tickets. Sports need visibility to build fans.

Sassnitz somehow gives SailGP both.

“You can still soak up the SailGP atmosphere even if you haven’t bought a grandstand ticket.”

“From the coffee shop to the harbourmaster, you can feel the excitement.”

New York gives you status. Sydney gives you the harbour. Rio gives you the postcard.

Sassnitz gives you attention.

“We are the story on Rügen.”

For international teams, that means fewer distractions and more focus on the racing. Heil remembers rivals going golfing, camping and simply enjoying the island.

That sounds almost quaint for a global sports league. It may also explain why they like it.

SailGP has now committed to Germany through 2027.

Novelty gets people through the door once.

This year, the grandstands are bigger.

“As the closest event to our home, we look forward to seeing the Danish flags flying high.”

Sassnitz is Germany’s home race. For ROCKWOOL, it is almost one too.

The Danish company is the first Title Partner of the Germany Sail Grand Prix, and Sassnitz marks its sixth SailGP title partnership across five countries.

“As the closest event to our home in 2026, we look forward to seeing the Danish flags flying high.”

— Mirella Vitale, ROCKWOOL Group

The connection is sporting as well as commercial.

ROCKWOOL Racing owns Sassnitz’s defining number: 103.93 km/h, the SailGP racing speed record set here last year. So ROCKWOOL arrives with title rights, a strong Danish fan connection and the fastest boat ever recorded in SailGP racing. Its name is on the event. Its team owns the record. That is tidy sponsorship.

“What we’re doing is very ambitious. And of course, it takes a lot of money.”

Behind every flying catamaran is somebody looking at a spreadsheet. Germany has brought in new investors, Deutsche Bank remains presenting partner and more brands are showing interest.

The team is still losing money.

“We’ve still got quite a bit of work to do to make sure this thing works financially as well.”

Kriegelstein argues that marketing and brand-building are not distractions from performance. They help pay for it. No audience means less sponsorship. Less sponsorship means less training.

The boats look futuristic. The economics remain familiar.

“I came into the league very young … at 19.”

Anna Barth entered SailGP at 19. A few years later, she watches her old races and smiles at how much has changed.

“When I watch races from back then now, I can’t help but smile.”“Wenn ich mir irgendwie auch Rennen anschaue von damals, dann muss ich auch eigentlich nur schmunzeln.”

SailGP is unusual because men and women race on the same F50.

But mixed competition does not automatically create equal opportunity.

Barth’s bigger point is training time. If more women are going to win places across different onboard roles, they need enough opportunities to develop.

“In the long run, the best sailors should simply be the ones onboard.”“Langfristig [sollten] einfach immer die besten Segler an Bord sein.”

“Pick the best” only becomes neutral when enough people have had the chance to become the best.

“With the weather forecasts … we’re being surprised more often.”

Sassnitz owns SailGP’s speed record. It also has a habit of ruining predictions.

Germany prepares around broad “day types”: light, medium and heavy wind. Heil says detailed forecasts have often failed to match reality. That is Sassnitz. Flat water can suddenly meet shifting pressure.