Barker's Team NZ role up in air

By HELEN TUNNAH

A major shakeup at Team New Zealand since their shock America's Cup loss has left skipper Dean Barker in limbo over his future with the sailing syndicate.

Barker, 29, told the Herald it would be stupid to commit to any Team New Zealand cup challenge when he did not know what job he would have.

"Until I know what my role and responsibilities are and what the structure is, it's very hard for me to say I'm definitely going to be a part of it."

Barker led the sailing crew in this year's failed defence of the cup against Team Alinghi, stepping into the job reluctantly three years ago when former skipper Russell Coutts quit for Alinghi.

The heavy loss, with the team unable to win a race and twice failing to finish races because of gear breakages, prompted an internal review of the syndicate's $85 million campaign. That review has now been completed, and limited findings will be released later this month.

Most team members' contracts expired this week, but Team New Zealand's trustees will be offering jobs to key people soon.

They also plan to introduce a new management structure for the syndicate, even though it is yet to decide if it will challenge for the cup again.

A managing director - probably not chief executive Ross Blackman - will be appointed, along with a director of sailing - a position that does not appear to be earmarked for either Barker or syndicate head Tom Schnackenberg.

Instead, the trustees are understood to have already asked veteran round-the-world sailor Grant Dalton if he is interested in the job. A spokesman for Dalton said yesterday that he would not comment.

Barker's refusal yesterday to commit to the new team is thought to be linked to confusion about what the new sailing director's role will be and whether that person will also be the on-the-boat skipper.

It also remains unclear whether the director of sailing or a skipper will select crew.

Trustee Peter Menzies said it was not known if the new director of sailing would also sail on the boat. However, he said the new job would be vital to drive a successful syndicate and would co-ordinate or control both sailing and design.

Menzies said the preferred appointee would be a New Zealander and would probably not have been involved with Team New Zealand in the past. He would not say if the trustees had spoken to Dalton.

Barker, the sailing skipper and helmsman for this campaign, said he knew Dalton but had sailed with him only occasionally.

He said he had not been formally interviewed for the team's internal review, but it seemed the trustees had a clear idea in their minds of where they saw the team going.

"It comes down to whether it remains a purely sailor-driven campaign, or whether we have a hand that guides it," Barker said.

"I'm still 100 per cent committed to being part of this team, provided the role is what I'm comfortable doing."

Barker said he did not think he should automatically inherit the skipper's job.

"It's a role that I would love to have again. [But] it's important if you're going to have that sort of role that you can have some say in the direction the team goes in."

Schnackenberg is believed to be comfortable moving away from his role as syndicate head, preferring to remain focused on design for a new campaign.

Menzies said Blackman had indicated he did not want the managing director's job, but was expected to stay with the team in a financial role.

He said a group of committed people were working on the appointments now, but he would not say who they were or when decisions would be announced.

A feasibility study is investigating whether the syndicate can raise the estimated $120 million needed to challenge for the cup. A decision is expected by October.

The syndicate will repay a Government grant of $5.6 million given to secure contracts while decisions are made if the team folds.

The funding was aimed at avoiding the mass defections that rocked Team New Zealand in 2000 after Coutts and the former trustees clashed over the syndicate's future.

Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/americascup