Jensen’s ready to rocket

OLYMPIC sailing champion Iain Jensen’s summer is about to pass in a blur of speed and salt spray.

The London Olympic gold medallist in the 49er skiff class is hitching a ride on three of the fastest boats ever seen on Australian waters, starting with Christian Beck’s recordbreaking supermaxi InfoTrack in the Sydney to Hobart.

Jensen, who raced to multiple world titles and Olympic medals with skipper Nathan Outteridge, is joining a crew of 20 for his first race south on the 100-footer which won last year’s line honours race as Perpetual Loyal.

The yacht also set a race record of one day 13 hours 31 minutes and 20 seconds, slashing five hours off the old mark held by former champion Wild Oats X1.

“We wanted guys who are young and fearless driving and who will push the boat hard,” said boat captain Ty Oxley of Jensen’s recruitment to the Hobart program.

Past commitments to Olympic and America’s Cup campaigns have delayed Jensen’s debut in the famous Australian race.

“There was always something else on at this time of the year with the 49ers,” said Jensen, who sailed the fastest boat in the Olympic arena to a gold in London in 2012 and silver in Rio in 2016.

“I’m really looking forward to doing the race finally.”

After his maiden Hobart, Jensen will jump aboard the new SuperFoiler, capable of about 40 knots, with his old 49er skipper Outteridge and America’s Cup winner Glenn Ashby for a Grand Prix series starting in January.

In between he will race his single-handed Moth, which can do 30-plus knots, at the Australian championships at Wangi on the NSW central coast.

But what he isn’t likely to do is race his 49er. Jensen said his first commitment was to America’s Cup racing with the Artemis team if they decide to campaign for the next cup in New Zealand.

This means it is unlikely he and Outteridge will press for a history-making third Olympic medal at the Tokyo Games in 2020.

“You never really say never, but I don’t want to do the double-up again,” said Jensen who was with Artemis for the last America’s Cup while campaigning for Rio.