Yachting: Team NZ bid welcome to the 'Little General'

By SUZANNE MCFADDEN

Bienvenue Bertrand Pace, skipper extraordinaire - welcome to Team New Zealand.

The world's No 1 matchrace skipper, who helmed the defiant Le Defi French challenge in the last America's Cup, is going to become a Kiwi for the next one.

Pace and his young family will move to Auckland in January so he will have New Zealand residency for the 2003 Cup to sail on the Team New Zealand boat.

The man nicknamed the Little General joins world No 2 skipper Dean Barker and up-and-coming helmsman Cameron Appleton to drive the black boats this summer.

Barker will remain head skipper, with Pace and Appleton sharing the wheel on the other boat during in-house racing.

In his trademark broken English, Pace said: "I am very pleased, excited to join the defence. Team New Zealand do me so proud."

Barker went to France to get Pace to sign on the dotted line.

In a phone call from Paris, the Team New Zealand skipper said it was a huge coup to get the French star on the team.

"We have three of the world's best skippers now," Barker said. "Bertrand is right at the top of his game at the moment, which is really important for us when we have to race against ourselves for the next two years.

"He'll fit right into the team environment - he has a great sense of humour and the guys all respect him.

"He just has to practise his English, and get used to getting a hard time when the All Blacks play France."

Pace, a 39-year-old industrial engineer, has sailed in four America's Cups for France.

But he decided not to stick with Le Defi when it became obvious the French would not have a budget to put them in the Billionaires' Club - the new strain of challengers backed by the world's richest men.

Barker approached Pace two months ago, when they were rivals at the Swedish Match grand prix in Sweden, offering him a job with the defence.

Pace asked for a month's grace to make his decision.

"He had a few concerns about how he would fit in to a New Zealand team and how he would be accepted," Barker said.

"But it all hinged on whether the French team would go ahead."

Le Defi are in the throes of putting together a repeat challenge, but Pace could not see them being "super-strong."

So he decided to bring his wife, Christine, and young sons Victor, aged 6, and Ludovic, 1, to live back in New Zealand, where they spent last summer.

Only this time it will be on a more permanent basis.

Pace was one of at least four candidates - some of them Kiwis - whom Team NZ approached for the original job of sailing coach to work with 21-year-old Appleton.

But Pace, Barker's arch-rival on the circuit this year, decided he wanted to play a bigger part in New Zealand's second defence.

There is every chance Pace could sail on the race boat during the Cup match - he has served as tactician, navigator and starting helmsman in past challenges.

"He wanted to get residency here, so if we decide he should be on the race boat then he's got that ability. I think it's important anyone on the team is able to sail on the boat," Barker said.

The Frenchman will come to Auckland in November when Team New Zealand regroup for the summer.

The Kiwis have also signed promising Australian skiff sailor Adam Beashel to be the next man-up-the-mast.

All that remains is to find a few more young grinders.

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