9.00am - By HELEN TUNNAH
New Zealander Chris Dickson will steer Oracle BMW's USA-76 racing in today's Louis Vuitton Cup race, with team leader Larry Ellison named alongside him as the yacht's skipper.
Peter Holmberg, the on-the-boat skipper and helmsman for the first round, has been dropped from the sailing team and
his future with the San Francisco-based syndicate was unclear this morning. He is to helm the warm up boat for Oracle today.
Dickson's return comes nine months after he was sidelined by Oracle after an apparent disagreement with some crew members.
However, he retained the confidence of Ellison and was kept on the team, moving into an administration role.
Oracle's fortunes in the Louis Vuitton cup have stalled, with the US$85m syndicate losing four of its last five races.
Yesterday Oracle claimed there were no concerns about the performance of their afterguard.
The Oracle website described the race as a "positive experience".
"Although Peter Holmberg proved why he is the world's number one ranked Match Racer in a clearly superior start, his lead later fell victim to a dramatic windshift," the website said.
After the loss to Prada, however, television pictures showed a disconsolate Ellison sitting with his head in his hands.
Dickson was seen sailing Oracle's backup boat on the Hauraki Gulf yesterday.
The New Zealander was the second high-profile team member removed from the side's sailing line-up by Ellison in the build-up to the cup, with the highly experienced Paul Cayard also sidelined.
Dickson has a long history with the America's Cup, extending back to New Zealand's first challenge in 1987 when he was the skipper of KZ7.
Dickson and Ellison will be joined in the after guard for today's race against Mascalzone Latino by another New Zealander John Cutler.
Oracle are tied for third in the current standings with Prada and GBR Challenge.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
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