Dean Barker interview - pt2

The Team New Zealand skipper continues to give his views about the new America's Cup

mfs: How are you finding the top job?

DB: Well, I didn't get it by choice! The structure we were going to run with was Russell, Brad and Tom would run the management side of Team New Zealand and my role was going to be skipper of the boat much in the way Russell's was last time. To step into a role where I'm suddenly involved in sponsorship meetings - I not saying I'm responsible for funding the team - but there are a lot of sponsor demands and ending up with a lot of pressures - for me that's been the hardest thing to cope with.

Earlier this year the pressure finally mounted enough that performance was suffering. I wasn't focused on the racing. So it is a huge learning curve for me, trying to find the right balance between sailing and on shore duties and managing a team. That's been a new one for me. I've always enjoyed sailing with a team, but to actually manage the whole sailing team of 32 sailors and shore crew, to have a role in managing all the different people and watching the program come together and build momentum is pretty satisfying. I've really enjoyed it.

mfs: What's your view on the OneWorld issue?

DB: It's disturbing of what you hear reports about what they've got and what they haven't got. The America's Cup protocol was designed to protect syndicates going on, to try and prevent people from buying information. If it's true then it is pretty disappointing, especially that people would want to take it from Team New Zealand and take it to another team or teams. There is no debating that people aren't going to erase from their heads, but if you take a stage further from that and taking electronic data or lines drawings in paper form - that's not the intent of the rule at all. It is disappointing if that's the case, but the arbitration panel has been given the task of deciding what the outcome should be.

To be honest that's one thing I've been trying and distance myself from. It doesn't help me sail any better and it's easy to get your head tied up in it too much.

mfs: How well known are you in New Zealand?

DB: The public in New Zealand they love their sports team, they love the All Blacks and the cricket team and they obviously love Team New Zealand because of the pride they get from being a small nation taking on the world. And with that goes the recognition. That changed in a huge way for me when I did race five [of the last America's Cup]. You sort of think it is quite cool at the time, but it is a weird thing, it is difficult to have your own privacy when you're in New Zealand. People do look. My partner is quite a famous field hockey player, very recognible in women's sport in New Zealand. And it's much the same thing and we find it difficult to have our private lives. At the end of the day we're just the same as any other person it's just what we do is supported by a lot of the country. The public would love to see us be successful and that's the best way we can repay them.

mfs: Any other ambitions in sailing other than the America's Cup?

DB: I haven't actually thought past the America's Cup. Right now the focus is purely on that. If we can keep it in New Zealand that would be the best thing I'll ever do it in my life. It's got that kind of significance for me.

mfs: No desire to go offshore then?

DB: I've done Fastnets and Sydney-Hobarts. I enjoy that sort of racing. But you can never say never to anything. I love the challenge of an America's Cup campaign, the mixture of science and yachting skills and people and you do have a lot of fun along the way. I wouldn't trade what I'm doing for anything.

What greeted Barker when he got back to the Viaduct Basin after being given the helm of NZl-60 for the final race of the last America's Cup