Yachting: Barker seeks Olympic redemption

1.00pm

ATHENS - America's Cup skipper Dean Barker is rediscovering the joys of sailing by tacking back to the "grassroots" of his sport off the Athens coastline.

Barker, the public face of New Zealand's calamitous America's Cup defence, has only spent about three weeks at home since January. And who could blame him for swapping Auckland Harbour for the Saronic Gulf on the other side of the world?

Traumatised may be too strong a word but the 31-year-old helmsman would not be human had he not been deeply affected by Team New Zealand's embarrassing failure to prevent "defector" Russell Coutts' annexation of the Auld Mug for land-locked Switzerland in March 2003.

Yet it's not as if Barker has sailed off into the wild blue yonder. Rather he is seeking to reinvent himself as a sailor by returning to his roots -- as New Zealand's Finn class representative at the Athens Olympics.

After the trials and tribulations of the America's Cup defence, Barker was understandably underwhelmed by the prospect of jumping off the deep end into the match racing circuit.

Saltwater still ran through his veins, he just needed a source of inspiration to reignite his passion.

The catalyst came in the form of a "very focused guy" -- British double Olympian Ben Ainslie.

A three-time Finn world champion, Ainslie offered an avenue to get Barker out of the doldrums when the pair linked up to compete in the Bermuda Gold Cup match racing regatta last October.

"Last year with the Cup and everything I found it hard to get motivated," Barker told NZPA from the Olympic Sailing Centre at Agio Kosmas.

"He'd just won the worlds and we talked about me trying to qualify for the Olympics," said Barker, who missed selection for Atlanta 1996 on a count back to 1992 bronze medallist Craig Monk.

He duly qualified for Athens by finishing fourth in the European championships in La Rochelle in May and any doubts Barker may have had about returning to single-handed racing have gradually evaporated in the heat off Athens.

"It's taken a long time to get used to the conditions and get the boat speed up but it's been good -- I'm happy with the progress I've made. To jump into an Olympic class is special."

Barker has been based in Athens for seven weeks and trains alongside Ainslie, who has recently joined Team New Zealand as a member of the afterguard.

"I've been very lucky, he's short-cutted my learning curve. He's obviously very good in this class," said Barker, who last sailed a Finn seriously in the 18 months leading up to the 1996 Games.

The Team New Zealand doesn't stop there with another new addition to the organisation, American navigator Kevin Hall, also lining up in the Finn class.

While the trio obviously get on well, Sailing team manager Don Cowie said friendships would obviously be put on hold once racing started on Saturday.

"There will be no love lost here when the flag goes down, it'll be all on. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity (Olympics) you worry about the Americas Cup afterwards."

Cowie may be biased but he believes Barker is a genuine medal prospect.

"Dean is technically very good, he's very regimented in how he sets up the boat."

He also reasoned the disastrous Cup campaign may have fortified Barker mentally for the 11-race battle for gold.

"If anyone has ever had pressure on them it has to be Dean in the America's Cup. I think he'll handle it quite well.

"It's (Cup defence) shown to me that Dean is mentally strong.

"He may have looked as if he was pretty ordinary during the Americas Cup but he was only one part of a big cog.

"He took a lot of heat that should have been directed to other people as well.

"He's only been sailing the Finn for 8-9 months -- there's guys here that have been sailing them professionally for 12 years and he's already proven he can be right up there and competitive with them."

Barker was reluctant to predict where he might finish.

"It's hard to say top five or top 10. I just want to do as well as I possibly can."

Indeed Barker believes his biggest achievement from the Olympics may only be apparent when New Zealand seek to regain the Auld Mug in Valencia in 2007.

"I think this experience going back to the grassroots will help me become a better sailor. I see this as beneficial for my involvement with Team New Zealand."

- NZPA