Felix2 Portrait

Germany SailGP Team: Who's on deck

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Meet the talent that aims to make Germany’s team the next league champion.

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Erik Heil
Driver

Erik Heil

Erik Heil took the wheel for the Germany SailGP Team from its first season in the league. Born and raised in Berlin, Heil spent much of his childhood at his local sailing club. He was eventually part of a team with Thomas Plössel that was crowned 2014 European Champions in the fastest boat class, the 49er, and then the World Champions in 2019. Together they also won bronze medals for Germany in the Summer Olympics of 2016 and 2020.
Anna Barth
Strategist #2

Anna Barth

Invited to Cádiz as a young talent, Anna was recognised for her outstanding progress and selected to be part of the Germany SailGP Team. Growing up in Hamburg, Germany, Anna started sailing in the Opti-class at the age of eight. She has participated in numerous international events and championships since the beginning of her career, winning both the U19 and the U21 Junior World Championships in 2022 and 2023 in 49er FX. She has also been chosen to join the SailGP Women’s Pathway Program and is currently responsible for the role of strategist, together with Sophie.

Stuart Bithell
Wing Trimmer

Stuart Bithell

Stuart Bithell began sailing as a child in the United Kingdom and had already represented Great Britain and Switzerland in earlier seasons of SailGP before bringing his talents as wing trimmer to the German team. In the London 2012 Olympic Games he won a silver medal with Luke Patience in the Olympic 470 class, and in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, along with Dylan Fletcher, Bithell won Great Britain’s first ever men’s 49er sailing gold medal.
James Wierzbowski
Flight Controller

James Wierzbowski

James is the team's flight controller and was already in this position on the SailGP China team in 2019. His greatest success in sailing is winning the World Match Racing Tour in 2016. His sailing career began in 2013 as a participant in the Red Bull Youth America's Cup. He was also selected for the Australian Olympic team in 2016. When James is not sailing, his passions are surfing and crossfit.
Will Tiller
Grinder #1

Will Tiller

Will Tiller joined the Germany SailGP Team with a wealth of experience in high-performance sailing. Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, he grew up in a sailing family, competing in local centreboard classes before progressing through the RNZYS youth training program. His career highlights include winning two WMRT world championships and two M32 world championships, as well as competing in the Extreme Sailing Series, GC32 Tour, M32 Series, Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, and various offshore races. Off the water, he enjoys golf, cross-country biking, and wing foiling.

Jonathan Knottnerus-Meyer
Grinder #2

Jonathan Knottnerus-Meyer

Jona is the young gun in the team and sails in the German Bundesliga for the Kiel Yacht Club. He started his professional sailing career directly in SailGP. With his impressive stature of 1.95m, he is one of the grinders in the team. Jona spends his time on the water wingfoiling when he's not sailing. When there is no wind, he is studying his last year at the medical faculty at Kiel University and writing his doctoral thesis.
Felix van den Hövel
Grinder #3

Felix van den Hövel

Felix first started working with SailGP as part of the league’s tech team during Seasons 2 and 3 before transitioning to the Germany SailGP Team at the beginning of Season 4, where he started as shore crew and chase boat driver. Working with driver Erik Heil, Felix started training and earned himself a place as one of the three grinders in the team – racing with the Germany SailGP Team for the very first time in Sydney.

Sophie Steinlein
Support Strategist

Sophie Steinlein

Sophie’s outstanding progress at a foiling camp in Cádiz led to her being selected to join the Germany SailGP Team in 2023. She first started competitive sailing at the age of seven and was successful at numerous international events. In 2020, she moved to the class of the 49 FX and began her career in the Olympic class. Together with Anna Barth, Sophie is currently responsible for the role of strategist for the German team. She is also a permanent member of the German Women’s America’s Cup Team.

 

 

 

Video portrait series

 

Meet the team

Felix2 Portrait

Felix van den Hövel

Grinder

Erik Portrait

Erik Heil

Driver & Skipper

Stuart Portrait3

Stuart Bithell

Wing trimmer

James Portrait3

James Wierzbowski

Flight controller

Dan Portrait3

Dan Morris

Grinder & jib trimmer

Further read

JB2 5161

Partnerships

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Discover more about the most competitive fleet in sailing and how SailGP is racing for a better future.

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