Dickson doing his best for the boss

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

Chris Dickson was feeding the calves on his Whangaparaoa farm when Larry Ellison phoned, asking him to help to rescue the fortunes of his America's Cup challenge.

Forty-eight hours later, without his dirty gumboots, Dickson stepped aboard USA76 and took the wheel - and control of Oracle BMW Racing's shell-shocked sailing team.

The veteran Kiwi sailor, exiled from the US syndicate's sailing team in February after tangling with senior crew, was back in typically controversial circumstances.

Yesterday, Dickson was shying away from the glare of the media headlights. In the morning he was home on the North Shore, feeding breakfast to his two little daughters, and making it clear he wanted to avoid headlines.

"At some time in the future, once I get a better handle on things, I will talk about it," he said. "I'm just doing the best I can for the boss. I'm playing catch-up now, and until I've finished playing catch-up, I'm keeping my head down and my tail up, trying to avoid losing any more points."

But without too much prompting, Dickson opened up a little. Asked about the future of Peter Holmberg, the man pushed overboard when he returned to the syndicate, Dickson indicated that it was not all over for the Caribbean helmsman.

It appeared the curtains were drawn on Thursday, in Dickson's debut race against Mascalzone Latino, when billionaire boss Ellison was still on board at the expense of Holmberg - who is a proficient tactician to boot.

That night, Ellison was still praising Holmberg, a man he said had done a "brilliant job" winning starts in the first round of the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Unfortunately, he added, USA76 was losing at the finishes, and something had to be done about it if the Oracle boys wanted to see in the New Year in Auckland.

The way they were going, they would be home by Christmas, knocked out before the challenger finals.

But yesterday, Dickson said: "Peter Holmberg is an asset I intend to use. I suspect there will be times when we think Peter should be at the wheel. There could be times when I elect not to be on the boat. There may be times when I ask Larry Ellison to step off the boat."

Those are now decisions that Dickson alone has the power to make.

Dickson, 41 next weekend, says, and says again, that the syndicate has a fast boat and a skilled crew.

"From what I have observed of Oracle, we're not in the A division right now. But the points on the board do not, in my opinion, reflect the ability of the boat and the team.

"My job is to rectify that. We've got a great team and a very fast boat."

But does he have a unified crew?

Veteran cup trimmer Stu Argo already is on a plane home, and there are rumours of a handful of other discontented sailors pondering whether to stay.

And if you're bracing yourself for another bombshell, wondering if you'll see Paul Cayard recalled to the team, don't expect it.

Cayard's demise came after an edict from Ellison.

Dickson was forced to retreat to the farm not because of any differences with the software billionaire - he fell out with the crew after a series of slanging matches.

It was Larry's call to bring him back. Dickson just waited for the phone to ring.

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