05/20/2026
by Emma Harrison
For the first time ever, the Sail GP Championship was on German shores. A new course was bound to conjure up some surprises, and we would suggest that spectators got more than their money’s worth in Sassnitz. We recap on how this could have affected your bets across the weekend.
Day one predictions:
Ahead of Sassnitz, we had taken the latest athlete stats and the lack of course knowledge into account to come up with the following:
- Make the final: Emirates GBR at 1.83
- Win the final: Black Foils at 4.35
- First race winner: Germany by Deutsche Bank at 22.22
Erik Heil and crew managed to capitalize on the home advantage, Black Foils ended in second overall after a great comeback in Fleet 3 and 4, and Emirates GBR started strong, but a collision with the USA in Fleet 4 meant they found themselves just outside the podium places.
Day one round-up:
Aside from Brazil, all teams were given the green light to participate in day one at Sassnitz. This is how things played out.
- Fleet 1: Emirates GBR got things off to a flying start; however, they were followed closely by Germany by Deutsche Bank. One crucial slip-up was then enough for Erik Heil and crew to land the win.
- Fleet 2: It was the reverse for Emirates GBR in Fleet 2 as they followed Los Gallos for the first portion of this race. It wasn’t until Gate 2 that Emirates GBR started to storm ahead, securing a Fleet 2 victory.
- Fleet 3: Bar the final result, it would be fair to suggest that this was the ROCKWOOL Racing show. A record-breaking moment from the Denmark boat team saw speeds of 103.93 km/h reached, requiring a huge final surge from the BONDS Flying Roos to steal the win.
- Fleet 4: The final race of day one was all about the Black Foils. From start to finish, they ruled supreme.
Day two predictions:
Ahead of day two, we took the consistency of Germany by Deutsche Bank, the clear lead of BONDS Flying Roos, and the potential that Emirates GBR would be cleared to race into account before coming up with the following:
- BONDS Flying Roos to win the final at 4.62
- Germany by Deutsche Bank to make the final 4.26
- Emirates GBR to make the final 4.26 (1.83 pre-race day 1)
Emirates GBR claim back-to-back wins to secure their spot in the final, BONDS Flying Roos make the cut ahead of Fleet 7, but France sneak in ahead of Germany by Deutsche Bank to enter the three-boat final.
Day two round-up:
Day two was just as exciting as day one, and followed a similar theme with Emirates GBR stealing the show early doors. However, it was France who finished the day as winners.
- Fleet 5: France grabbed an early lead, but ROCKWOOL Racing made a great move before Gate 2 and stole top spot. It was then back and forth between Emirates GBR, ROCKWOOL Racing, and BONDS Flying Roos throughout, leading to an eventual Fleet 5 win for Emirates GBR.
- Fleet 6: Emirates GBR started as they finished Fleet 5, flying ahead at the start of Fleet 6. Germany by Deutsche Bank, BONDS Flying Roos, and Canada were fighting for podium places throughout, but nothing could stop Emirates GBR claiming back-to-back wins.
- Fleet 7: Germany by Deutsche Bank and Emirates GBR timed things well, but it was France that led for the first portion of Fleet 7. A couple of fantastic manoeuvres saw Emirates GBR steal the lead, but Switzerland are the surprise victors here.
- Final: France, BONDS Flying Roos, and Emirates GBR make it to the final in Sassnitz, and it is Emirates GBR who fly out fast towards Mark 1. BONDS Flying Roos split the race first and took the lead by Gate 2, and it could not have been closer leading up to the final turning gate. In the end, it was France who took home their first GP win in season 5.
Final thoughts:
We have just witnessed a fantastic weekend of racing in Sassnitz, backed by some pretty hot picks. A shock win from Germany by Deutsche Bank in Fleet 1 set the tone for this one, with Emirates GBR overcoming adversity to claim a final spot in the three-boat finale, and France sneaking in at the last minute to claim the weekend win.
It has been confirmed that we will be coming back to Sassnitz next year, and we cannot wait to see how teams will approach the course next time around. Remember, you can follow the rest of this season’s action with us live and make the most of competitive odds across all upcoming races.
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