America's Cup: How Dean Barker is helping Oracle Team USA

Team Japan skipper Dean Barker and his team are helping Oracle stay match-fit. Photo / Ricardo Pinto

After being dispatched from the America's Cup challenger semifinals yesterday, Team Japan skipper Dean Barker was straight back on the water today helping Oracle Team USA stay match-fit.

The two boats lined up in a series of pre-starts on the Great Sound ahead of racing in the opening day of the challenger final between Emirates Team New Zealand and Artemis.

The America's Cup protocol grants the defender sole access to the race course area each day between 11am and 1pm, but, if they so choose, they can invite other teams to join them.

As far as America's Cup tradition goes, it is highly irregular for a challenger to help out the defender, but with Oracle and Team Japan having a close working arrangement throughout the campaign, it was no surprise to see the America's Cup sister act back in full swing today.

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After bowing out of the semifinals yesterday Barker had indicated his team would help Oracle with their final tune-up for the first-to-seven Cup match, which is now just one week away.

Barker said assisting Oracle is also about protecting the framework agreement, which he and four of the five other teams signed, which sets out the format for the next two America's Cup events.

"We've had a great relationship with Oracle due to the fact that they provided us with our design and everything else. The intention is to go and do some more sailing and continue on the development process," said Barker.

"We really hope the framework agreement on AC36 continues on because I think it is definitely the right direction for the next America's Cup."

As well as lining up against their stablemates Team Japan, which has served as effectively Oracle's 'B' boat for the campaign, the defender also gave the okay for Artemis to train on the course ahead of the afternoon's finals action.

Predictably, Team NZ were told they weren't allowed to play in the sandpit.

The Kiwi boat was able to get out on the Great Sound for a pre-race shakedown however, with America's Cup race management carving off a stretch of water for them.