The British sailor was calling to find out to ask if Henken was available to try out as a reserve wing trimmer on the American F50 catamaran. Having previously been a part of the US team during SailGP’s inaugural season under its then-skipper Rome Kirby – Henken was surprised to have been called upon to fill the role.
“I was surprised because there's a lot of great athletes already on this team – and elsewhere in the United States – that could do this job.
“I was excited for sure, but I wanted to make sure that it was right for what the team wanted, and it was also right for what I was doing with my own campaign.”
Having checked with his 49er crewmate Ian Barrows and their coach Mark Asquith, Henken agreed to the trial which took place prior to the SailGP Season 3-opening regatta on the Great Sound in Bermuda.
Prior to stepping aboard in Bermuda the closest Henken had come to sailing an F50 had been in the darkened surroundings of the SailGP simulator.
