CUP BLOG: IAIN JENSEN JOINS EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND
Overnight there was breaking news that Australian sailor Iain Jensen has joined Emirates Team New Zealand in the lead up to the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in Naples.
Known throughout the sailing world as ‘Goobs’ – Iain Jensen is one of the most decorated sailors in modern sailing and joining the Defenders reunites him with fellow Aussie Nathan Outteridge, the skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand and co-helm on the AC75 ‘Taihoro’ when the team won the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup. With Nathan helming, the pair won both the 2009 and 2011 49er World Championships as well as winning the Gold medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The duo then went on to win a Silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
In recent years, Iain has been one of the most sought-after wing trimmers on the global foiling circuit and was a key member of the British America’s Cup team in Barcelona in 2024. More recently he was wing trimmer for the all-conquering British team in Season 5 of SailGP. Furthermore, he has competed competitively in the highly technical International Moth Class and is regularly in the hunt at the annual World Championships.
Speaking about his appointment Iain was quoted on ETNZ social media saying: "I came straight over here from Perth and it’s been a quick turnaround. It's been a while since I've been on the AC40s. There's been a lot of effort to get me in and make sure that I understand how these boats sail with the way that Emirates Team New Zealand have got it set up and try to fast-track my learning.”
“From the outside, you always look at this team, and you think they're very efficient with their time. When the opportunity came to join, I jumped at it and I know a lot of the guys in the sailing team, and I know a few of the guys on the shore and design teams as well and I'm just excited to see what the next few months brings and then the year and a half after that.”
Nathan Outteridge further outlined the team’s Southern Hemisphere summer schedule in Auckland whilst welcoming Iain to the team saying: “We're back into sailing this year, 2026, so pretty important time for us to just keep getting the hours on the water and training up all the sailors. And Iain Jensen's just joined the squad. He's a good buddy of mine. We did a lot of 49er sailing together, he's bringing a lot of expertise to the programme, and I think we've got a great mix within the sailing group.”
Iain comes in to a squad bristling with both established sailors that are proven at the America’s Cup level such as Outteridge, Blair Tuke, Chris Draper, Andy Maloney and the Gold and Silver winning Olympic female sailor Jo Aleh, as well as new emerging raw foiling talent in the form of Seb Menzies, Josh Armit and Jake Pye.
Magnus Wheatley