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SYDNEY - Former America's Cup skipper Chris Dickson says he and Tornado crewmate Jeremy Stephenson have improvements to make if they are to challenge for a medal at the Sydney Olympics.
The pair yesterday qualified New Zealand for a spot in the catamaran class at the Olympics after finishing 24th overall
in the world championships off Sydney.
While the result was below their recent performances, Dickson said Olympic qualification was the main goal and he and Stephenson had sailed conservatively over the past week, when their placings in individual races ranged from 11th to 37th.
"We've been cautious to make sure we didn't jeopardise qualification," he said.
"We didn't want to risk disqualification [for being over the start line early] or getting any other penalty."
The pair's results in regattas since last September, including the pre-Olympics, have seen them finish around seventh to 10th either as individual boat or as country.
"So we need to improve, but it's not a big difference between where we are and where the top boats are," Dickson said. "It's very small. Even 1 per cent is a lot around a race track. "
New Zealand had eight crews among the huge 74-strong fleet at the world championships, but only one other finished in the top half of the points table.
Simon Manning and Andy Robertson ended 26th overall, a result that would also have got New Zealand into the Olympics.
As with each yachting class at the Olympics, each nation will be allowed just one entry and New Zealand's Tornado crew will be decided at the national trials off Auckland in March.
The world title was won by Germans Roland Gaebler and Rene Schwall by a solitary point from defending champions Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher of Austria.
Meanwhile, Dickson said he had no particular feelings about former America's Cup adversary Dennis Conner being eliminated from the latest battle for the Auld Mug.
The low-budget, one-boat campaign was lucky to get as far as it did.
But Dickson, who was New Zealand's first cup skipper in Fremantle 13 years ago, said he was happy AmericaOne and Prada had made it to the challengers' final because he was in line for a financial windfall.
"I made some big TAB bets on both when the odds were good." - NZPA
