Dean Barker interview - pt1

James Boyd caught up with Team New Zealand's skipper at the Swedish Match Cup

mfs: So bring us up to date with what's happening at the moment in the Team New Zealand camp

DB: We start sailing again at the end of July. We've got one boat half way through construction at Cooksons. The first one we hope to have sailing mid to late August. The second hopefully late September, but that could easily change as the construction goes on. We're really excited about the prospects of having two new boats. NZL 57 and 60 are obviously dearly loved by the crew. I think like anything you always like new toys.

But in some ways it's a bit nerve racking. It's kind of like making the bed you've got to sleep in, so in that respect the design phase is tapering off now and we're moving in to the sailing/development phase where we have to make ourselves ready to race, make sure the boat we end up choosing is the best suited to the conditions we're likely to face or the best all round boat or better in the light or strong winds - who knows? Then there's lot of work to do on moding the boats.

Auckland is such a variable place, it is nice to have the option to have a crossover to learn about whether it is better to be fast in light or strong winds and what the trade-offs are. The upwind-downwind trade-offs - I guess that's one of the hardest trade-offs.

mfs: So following the mass exodus, how has the atmosphere at Team New Zealand changed?

DB: It is a much different atmosphere to last time in that last time there was a group of us who came in and we were the new kids on the block, learning from the guys who'd done an amazing job of winning the Cup. Being part of that defence was fantastic, what I got out of that was just amazing. This time around we've got a mixture of experienced guys who've been around ever since New Zealand went into the America's Cup to guys who're doing their first one.

The old timers include Tom Schnack, Tony Rae, Barry McKay, Joey Allen, Mike Drummond, Grant Loretts, Earl Williams, Tom Dodson, guys with a lot of experience, and not just with America's Cup or just with New Zealand campaigns.

And then we've got a lot of people of my generation. Because New Zealand has got a generation of sailors that have been together for a very long period of time and there's not many things in world yachting that they haven't won as a group. So it's fantastic that we've been given the opportunity to run a new generation.

So the biggest different is that the new team have got a point to prove that we are good enough to keep the America's Cup in New Zealand. Team New Zealand has always been about a team atmosphere and we believe the team has got enough skills to retain the Cup without a few of the guys there. There's no question it is going to be a lot harder, people know that. But there's the motivation and
desire to prove we're good enough.

mfs: And who are the young pretenders?

DB: Dan Slater. There's a lot of guys coming through that are potentially going to be the hopes for New Zealand in the future.

mfs: Who's going to be your replacement?

DB: Hopefully, I'm not going to be replaced! I've only just got started! But you just don't know what's going to happen. Cameron [Appleton] is obviously setting himself to take over from me, but he might get a ridiculous offer from overseas and want to go. So you just don't really know what's going to happen.

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