Hans Henken Previews San Francisco Sail Grand Prix
Flight Controller Hans Henken spoke to the press ahead of the Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix this weekend
Published 03/21/2025
California is home for U.S. SailGP Team Flight Controller Hans Henken and with his family coming to watch this weekend's Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix, he can't wait to get back out on the water.
"First off it's awesome to be back here in San Francisco. I've been part of the Bay Area for the last 10 years having graduated from Stanford University. I just can't wait for this week.
"It's going to be a fantastic week and I'm really looking forward to getting on the water. Our team has been working really hard. It's been fantastic being back part of this team. We're really looking forward to being able to put into practice and execute what we've been working on."
Asked how the team had prepared given the short week since the Rolex Los Angeles Grand Prix, Henken said: "We've been working really hard. We spent the entire week in Santa Monica with the Red Bull Facility, working with their experts, diving into the data.
"San Francisco is a different venue as we have been talking about here up on stage. We're really looking forward to embracing that challenge and really putting to work what we've been really working hard on trying to build; build the team culture, build our trust, our foundation of how we're going to sail these boats."
Conditions in San Francisco are not expected to be as windy as might typically be expected. But Henken is not taking anything for granted. He explained: "The key is to pay attention to the weather. Being here in winter time is going to change the conditions a little bit. Peak summer conditions are a little bit different than peak winter conditions.
"So I think the forecasting is going to be really important and everything that has to do about sailing is being able to look around, use your eyes and make those instinctual decisions around the race course. You'll see the best teams doing that this weekend."
This weekend's Grand Prix in San Francisco brings an all-American double header to a close. Henken and the team have enjoyed the experience and are relishing further opportunities.
The Olympic bronze medallist said: "We're really excited for the opportunity. It's not every day you get to go out in a venue like this and perform in these boats against the best sailors in the world. Taking that opportunity head on is the mindset we have right now.
"It's been fantastic to be able to sail at two now, classic events, in the States. We have another coming up in June in New York. That opportunity is really, really special and we've been taking advantage of it. We're really looking forward to it."
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