Team New Zealand want Dean Barker on board for their next America's Cup yachting campaign - but maybe in a different job.
In an ideal world, they want both Barker and brilliant young sailor Peter Burling involved in the 2017 Cup regatta, according to America's Cup sources close to theteam. However contract talks, which began late last year, have stalled, with Barker said to be wanting confirmation as the next skipper but Team NZ unwilling to commit to naming a helmsman now.
That and the team's uncertain financial future have complicated the question of whether Barker or Burling will drive the 62-foot foiling catamaran in Bermuda in 2017.
Burling's role as heir apparent has been clear since he joined Team NZ with colleague Blair Tuke 12 months ago. At the time, boss Grant Dalton made it clear Barker might take up a role like sailing director, saying: "Peter Burling may ultimately be the best thing this country has ever seen - but he is not there yet. If Dean Barker is not driving the boat in 2017 - and Dean will be very much involved in that decision - Peter Burling will have to take it from him ... But [to be skipper] he has to be more than just a good sailor. He has to get guys working for him and around him and inputting into all the processes, like design and so on, that Dean has done so well. Whatever decision is made, Dean will still be a mentor [to Burling]."
However, yachting sources suggest Barker has made a move now to cement his place as skipper for the next campaign, even though the team's probable desire is for both to contest the build-up America's Cup World Series, played out in 45-foot foiling cats.
Neither Dalton nor Barker responded to calls this week but sources have also suggested money is a potential sticking point. The Herald on Sunday understands the team are under some pressure with one or more sponsors unhappy with Bermuda as the next America's Cup venue. The Government also hinted they will be cutting their $36 million taxpayer funding to the team - funds which might not appear at all if Team NZ does not clinch the Auckland event of the America's World Cup Series.
Reduced revenue from government and sponsors means the team might struggle to pay two top salaries for "rock star skippers", as one source put it. There are suggestions Barker, if he is "kicked upstairs" to become a director of sailing, faces a pay cut which he is resisting. It's understood other members of Team NZ are either working short weeks or are on reduced salaries.
The state of the relationship between Dalton and Barker is not clear, though there are reports it is now sundered and may not be repaired. An admirer of Barker's skill since he took over the team in 2003, Dalton may nevertheless be walking a difficult line now. His regard for Barker is not in question and the latter has always said there would be no Team NZ if not for Dalton, although there was political jostling between the two regarding management structures after the San Francisco campaign. The best outcome for the team would be a managed transition from Barker to Burling but status, ambition and personalities are unknown factors. It is still possible for the impasse to be solved and Barker stay with the team - but only if a way is found through those issues.
