By HELEN TUNNAH
Chris Dickson's dramatic comeback yesterday to lead Oracle into the final of the challenger series means that no matter who wins the America's Cup next year, it will be a New Zealand skipper who holds aloft world yachting's top trophy.
Dickson's crew will take on fellow New Zealander
Russell Coutts' Alinghi team in the Louis Vuitton Cup final.
The winner will challenge Team New Zealand's Dean Barker for the America's Cup in February.
Barker was Coutts' understudy at Team New Zealand three years ago.
Coutts, a double cup winner, later quit to join the Swiss challenge.
For Dickson, who led New Zealand's first challenge in 1987, it has been a remarkable return to favour.
He was sidelined by billionaire friend Larry Ellison for nine months, only to be handed the skipper's job after Oracle turned in lacklustre early results.
Yesterday, Ellison's team sent OneWorld out of the regatta. The Seattle team finally lost on the water after a difficult campaign marked by lawyer-led controversies.
After four lost races in a row to Oracle BMW Racing in the semifinals repechage OneWorld were told by Louis Vuitton spokesman Bruno Trouble they were now "excused" from the regatta.
Set up by telecommunications billionaire Craig McCaw - whose ideal was to clean up both the event and the oceans - the challenge instead became embroiled in one of the ugliest off-water battles in the cup's recent history.
Their former rules adviser, Sean Reeves, claimed OneWorld had used the design secrets of his old employers Team New Zealand and his allegations led to an acrimonious legal battle in the United States.
But the claims also forced OneWorld to admit, twice, that they did have other teams' design information.
How significant that confidential data was remains unclear. OneWorld consistently argued that it was insignificant but rivals, including Team New Zealand and Prada, alleged that it was extensive.
In the end, OneWorld were punished for their failings with the loss of competition points, but skipper Peter Gilmour said last night that the off-water bumps and bruises had not cost them a place in the challenger finals.
"We have nobody else to blame but ourselves. We're in this situation because we simply weren't good enough to beat those guys out there.
"My hat goes off to them for sailing so damn well when we sailed so damn badly."
McCaw has had little to say of Reeves, except to tell the Herald earlier this year that the syndicate should never have hired him.
"I believe in the people we have on the team ... and they shouldn't let the actions of one individual, a 1 per cent failure rate in hiring, disappoint us."
Racing resumes on January 11.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule, results and standings
By HELEN TUNNAH
Chris Dickson's dramatic comeback yesterday to lead Oracle into the final of the challenger series means that no matter who wins the America's Cup next year, it will be a New Zealand skipper who holds aloft world yachting's top trophy.
Dickson's crew will take on fellow New Zealander
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