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In his home waters on Lake Starnberg, Felix van den Hoevel was a guest at the Yacht Club Seeshaupt (YCSS), the club where he once learned to sail in the Opti. The YCSS had invited Felix to talk about himself and his sailing successes, especially about his current participation in SailGP. It was an exciting experience for the 40 young Opti sailors to listen to him and, at the end, to be able to ask questions. And this was something the Opti sailors were particularly interested in:
- "What is the most important thing for sailing successfully in regattas?"
Felix: "You always have to have fun sailing – fun, fun, then you'll succeed."
- "Why can a sailboat sail faster than the wind?
Felix: "The profile of the foils – curved like an airplane's – creates additional "propulsion" in the direction of travel, thus doubling the speed."
- "Do you have to learn math for that in school?"
(... great laughter all around...)
Felix: "Yes, because we calculate the speed on the courses."
Felix van den Hoevel works as a "grinder" on the German SailGP team – one of the most demanding roles on a racing boat, requiring high physical performance and endurance.
Adrenaline-fueled races, legendary locations around the world, rival national teams, and record-breaking speeds. SailGP is the most exciting race on the water - powered by nature. The F50 is the result of 10 years of development in high-performance foiling multihull racing and a technological marvel.
SailGP took place in Germany for the first time on August 16 and 17, 2025, in the town of Sassnitz on the island of Ruegen. The event, which featured the world's fastest catamarans racing across the Baltic Sea, was a home race for the German team, supported by Sebastian Vettel, among others.
The German team won the first race on Saturday, August 16, but narrowly missed reaching the top-3 final. The French team won the top-3 final ahead of Australia and Great Britain.
What are F50 catamarans?
The F50s are the fastest catamarans in the world. They are characterised by three features: a wing, foils and numerous data measuring devices that enable wind and water currents as well as all actions on board to be recorded and evaluated.
While the hydraulic wing replaces the classic mainsail and is similar in design to the wing of a large airliner, the foils lift the boats out of the water and allow them to fly, so to speak, at speeds of 100 km/h and more.
The F50 is a one-design foiling catamaran used in the SailGP racing series. The name is an abbreviation for ‘foiling’ and ‘hull length 50 feet’.
The F50s are among the fastest racing classes in history. The current speed record for the F50, set by the ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team at the Germany Sail Grand Prix in Sassnitz in 2025, is 56.1 knots (103.93 km/h, 64.58 mph).
The F50s use a two-piece wing sail and a jib for propulsion.
The F50s have a six-person crew consisting of a helmsman, wing trimmer, flight controller, two grinders and a strategist. With the exception of the wing sheet, which is powered by two grinders, all trimming is done hydraulically using electric motors and lithium-ion batteries. This includes active pitch control of all appendages, raising/lowering the centreboard and the jib sheet.
In addition to the reigning 2023/24 SailGP champion, Spain, teams from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Switzerland, the USA, and Germany will also be competing. Brazil is making its debut and is the first SailGP team to have a woman at the helm.
TEAM FRANCE - FRA
One of the six SailGP teams that have been with the team since the beginning, France is led by Quentin Delapierre. The team, in its fourth SailGP season in Saint-Tropez, holds the current speed record of 99.94 km/h. Allez Les Bleus!
TEAM AUSTRALIA - AUS
Australia will be competing with the BONDS FLYING ROOS SAILGP TEAM. Led by legendary Australian sailor Tom Slingsby, this team has established itself as the most successful team with three consecutive Rolex SailGP Championship titles.
TEAM GREAT BRITAIN - GBR
The team is led by the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie, as CEO. The F50 is captained by Dylan Fletcher, Olympic gold medalist, Moth World Champion, and America's Cup helmsman.
TEAM NEW ZEALAND - NZL
Black Foils is the name of their SAILGP TEAM. Led by the legendary sailing duo Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, the Black Foils proudly represent Aotearoa, the Māori name for New Zealand, meaning "The Land of the Long White Cloud."
TEAM GERMANY - GER
The German SailGP team, competing for the first time this year, is perfectly represented by Erik Kosegarten-Heil as captain. At just eleven years old, he was already sailing in the junior class with Thomas Ploessel. With one success after another, including several German championship titles, the inseparable duo rose through the various sailing classes until they even became European champions in the fastest boat class – the 49ers – in 2014.
Los GallosLOS GALLOS SAILGP TEAM
The Los Gallos SailGP Team holds the record as the youngest team to compete in SailGP yet, after making its racing debut in Season 2. Champions of SailGP's Season 4, Los Gallos is led by the partnership of driver Diego Botin and wing trimmer Florian Trittel. The team includes top tier sailing talent, including flight controller Joel Rodriguez, tactician & grinder Joan Cardona, strategist Nicole van der Velden, and grinder Bernardo Freitas.
Emirates GBR GREAT BRITAIN SAILGP TEAM
Emirates GBR is led by the most successful Olympic sailor of all-time, Sir Ben Ainslie, as CEO. The team’s F50 is driven by Olympic gold medallist, Moth World Champion and America's Cup Helm, Dylan Fletcher. The crew alongside him features sailing’s top talent, including Olympic gold medallists Hannah Mills and Iain Jensen, and three-time America's Cup athletes Neil Hunter, Nick Hutton and Luke Parkinson. Kai Hockley, an 18-year-old from Tottenham, London, completes the squad as a development sailor, who is on the team's Athena Pathway programme. Emirates GBR was a formidable force in Season 4, winning three events and the Impact League for its dedication to climate education, sustainability and inclusivity with its partners the 1851 Trust, Low Carbon and Athena Pathway.
Erik Kosegarten-Heil Stuart Bithell James Wierzbowsk, Anna Barth Jonathan Knottnerus-Meyer Felix van den Hövel Will Tiller
Driver Wing Trimmer Flight Controller Strategist Grinder Grinder Grinder
SailGP Erik Kosegarten-Heil takes the wheel as the Germany SailGP Team's first ever Driver in its inaugural season in SailGP.
Youth Born and raised in Berlin, Kosegarten-Heil spent much of his childhood at his local sailing club – not just sailing, but surfing and back on dry land taking part in various ball sports.
Career At the age of 11, he started sailing with Thomas Plössel in the junior class. As they enjoyed success after success, including several German national titles, the inseparable duo moved up the different sailing classes until they reached the fastest boat class – the 49er – and were crowned 2014 European Champions.
Now he's focused on winning more silverware at the highest levels of the sport.
One of the six original SailGP Teams, France is spearheaded by driver Quentin Delapierre who assembled a stellar crew line-up when he took over as driver in Season 2. The France SailGP Team, known as Les Bleus, is known for executing stellar starts and performing in wild and windy conditions. The team holds the SailGP racing speed record of 99.94 km/h in Saint Tropez, Season 4. The team races for France, honouring her proud racing past, and shaping the future through “le bien-vivre” and practical problem-solving. Allez Les Bleus !
The reward for the hard work
Action-packed, high-performance sport at the limit, famous sailing areas, and testing one's strengths against the world's best sailors are the rewards for which Felix van den Hoevel works hard "with the coolest team in the league. It's physically extremely demanding, a challenge for each of us to tune our bodies for high-performance sport," he explains, while the fast-paced, picture-perfect impressions signal ease and racing flow.
From designer to racer
Felix has achieved what many dream of: making the jump to the SailGP team. He was immensely happy: "I can finally use what I've always built. It's like unwrapping a toy." Felix van den Hoevel worked hard for his promotion. He recalls: "It was sensational for me to be given this amazing opportunity by the team. I gained over ten kilos over three months of intensive strength training for this."
Sail - Grand Prix (GP) - is a global, professional racing series for high-performance catamaran sailboats that "fly" using hydrofoils and can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h. The races are held as Grand Prix events (GP), in which national teams compete in identical F50 catamarans. The goal is to win the title of SailGP Champion through strategic skills and top speed, which is decided at the end of the season in the Grand Final.
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Sources: SailGP, German TV ZDF, Ruegen, Team GER,
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