Cup raid sinking as hero pledges loyalty

By JAMES GARDINER and NZPA

Team New Zealand syndicate leaders were last night relaxed about keeping the team together in the face of big-money offers from America's Cup rivals.

Helmsman Dean Barker, hero of the final Cup defence race, has reportedly been offered up to $3.2 million to jump ship, but he says he will be loyal and urged his fellow sailors not to rush out and sign other deals.

"I definitely want to be part of Team New Zealand," Barker said yesterday. "If we can keep everyone here it will be good for everyone."

Under the Cup's nationality rules, crew have until next March to decide which team they will sail for and Barker urged them to wait to see what Team NZ would offer.

A lawyer for the new defenders' syndicate, Lowndes Jordan partner Rick Shera, said arrangements for transferring the assets from one charitable trust to a new one should be completed in about a week.

Until then, "we're not in a position to offer anything to anybody," Mr Shera said.

US and European syndicates have been chasing Team NZ members since the successful Cup defence ended in March.

Team NZ's crew have been left without contracts as negotiations continue to establish a new management under Russell Coutts, Brad Butterworth and Tom Schnackenberg, all of whom were overseas yesterday.

A new Seattle-based syndicate is reportedly offering New Zealanders more than $200,000 a year.

Barker said: "Everyone's really got to make their own decision about what they feel is right."

Butterworth has said that foreign syndicates have approached up to 20 people and he conceded that some would go because the offers were so good.

Coutts was unhappy with the salaries - said to be around $80,000 - paid to shore and sailing crew in the last Cup defence and plans significant pay rises for the next series, although it will be up to sponsors to determine his budget.

Once the new Team NZ trust is formed, and Coutts and his partners take over, deals will have to be struck with sponsors, especially the "family of five" - Telecom, Steinlager, TV One, Lotto and Toyota.

A spokeswoman for Telecom said it had not yet received any proposal about sponsorship.

A Lion Nathan spokesman said a sponsorship package would almost certainly take three to six months to negotiate.

It took 12 months last time, but the company was aware of the tighter timeframe this time.

The next Cup defence will be in 2003, with the challengers' series in late 2002.