SailGP: Five things to watch in Sassnitz

Following the start of the European leg in England, the fifth season for SailGP is now in Germany for the eighth event of the 12-stage schedule. With points close among the top four teams, here are five things to watch out for during the racing on August 16-17:

Germany makes its SailGP debut
The stunning Black Sea resort town of Sassnitz will host the first ever Germany Sail Grand Prix – and we’re expecting a sellout crowd. More than 11,000 SailGP fans are set to descend on the Race Stadium for a shoreside view of the action thanks to the prime locations of the Waterfront Grandstand and Waterfront Premium Lounge along Sassnitz’s iconic harbor wall. Germany SailGP Team driver Erik Heil said it will be a huge moment for them as they look to make moves up the leaderboard in front of a legion of home fans.

Glamour conditions forecast
Sassnitz’s location in the north east of the island of Rugen means it is known for flat waters – which combined with a promising forecast of up to 18 knots could see the 12 F50s blasting round the race course in champagne conditions. SailGP commentator Stevie Morrison said this will make it technically easier for teams to sail their boats, but will also mean they can push them harder – and faster.

Black Foils the target
The Great Britain Sail Grand Prix saw Pete Burling’s Black Foils take the win – and with it the overall lead in the 2025 Season standings. The Kiwis overhauled previous table toppers Los Gallos to enjoy a two-point lead with five events remaining of the 2025 Season. Only four points split the top four teams.

Aussies out for redemption?
The Great Britain Sail Grand Prix might have taken place a month ago but the debate around that Australian penalty still rages. Stand by for plenty of fire at the Sassnitz press conference, which you can watch on YouTube.

Special fly-by
Rumor has it that a very special guest will be taking part in the fly-by in front of the Race Stadium on Sunday. Who could it be? Stay tuned to the live broadcast to find out.

Racing will be at 3.30pm-5:00 pm CEST (9:30am-11:00am EDT).

SailGP information – Sassnitz event – YouTube – Crew list

Season 5 Leaderboard (after 7 events)
1. New Zealand – Peter Burling, 54 points
2. Australia – Tom Slingsby, 52 points
3. Spain – Diego Botin, 51 points
4. Great Britain – Dylan Fletcher, 50 points
5. Canada – Giles Scott, 41 points
6. France – Quintin Delapierre, 37 points*
7. Switzerland – Sebastien Schneiter, 28 points
8. Italy – Ruggero Tita, 19 points
9. Denmark – Nicolai Sehested, 18 points**
10. Brazil – Martine Grael, 11 points**
11. Germany – Erik Heil, 0 points**
12. United States – Taylor Canfield, 0 points**
* France was awarded points for the first two events as their F50 was not available
**Teams receive season penalty points for incidents during practice or racing

Season 5 Schedule – 14 events *
2024
November 23-24 – Dubai, UAE

2025
January 18-19 – Auckland, New Zealand
February 8-9 – Sydney, Australia
March 15-16 – Los Angeles, USA
March 22-23 – San Francisco, USA
May 3-4 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 7-8 – New York City, USA
July 19-20 – Portsmouth, Great Britain
August 16-17 – Sassnitz, Germany
September 6-7 – Taranto, Italy
September 12-13 – Saint-Tropez, France
September 20-21 – Geneva, Switzerland
October 4-5 – Andalucía – Cádiz, Spain
November 7-8 – Middle East
November 29-30 – Grand Final – Abu Dhabi, UAE
* The season began with 14 events but Tranto was replaced with Saint-Tropez, while Rio and Middle East were cancelled.

Format for Season 5:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• Five qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes may be scheduled for each regatta.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the prize purse (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $400,000.00 USD prize purse with winning team earning $200k at each event).
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing with the winner claiming a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $2 million USD prize).
• The top team on points ahead of the three-boat Championship Final will get a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had a $350,000.00 prize).
• The league still owns the New Zealand and Spain teams and are looking at how they can bring new investment into them.

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.

Source: SailGP