Race readiness question for TNZ
YACHTING
AUCKLAND: American Magic helmsman Dean Barker says Team New Zealand has all the ingredients to defend the America’s Cup but the big question is whether it will be raceready come March 6.
Barker and his American Magic team were knocked out of the Prada Cup semifinals following a 40 defeat by Luna Rossa.
The Italian syndicate will now race British syndicate Ineos Team UK for a spot in the America’s Cup against Team New Zealand.
Barker told Newstalk ZB it would be a ‘‘stab in the dark’’ to pick the America’s Cup winner but said a lack of racing would pose a problem for the defender.
‘‘Team New Zealand was clearly the strongest in the Christmas Cup acrossthewind race. And they are clearly very fast and very good sailors. Got all the ingredients.
‘‘The difficult thing is whether they will be raceready when they turn up in March,’’ he said.
Barker initially thought the path being travelled by Team Ineos UK, which skipped into the Prada Cup final, was the way to go. But he had changed tack, seeing how important the actual racing was to develop.
So Barker suggested it was now advantage Luna Rossa, because it had been actively racing.
‘‘You learn more than you do in a day’s training,’’ he said.
American Magic struggled to recover from a capsize in the Prada Cup roundrobin action after impressing in the World Series regatta in December when it defeated Team New Zealand on the opening day.
‘‘We underestimated losing those sailing days as our progression,’’ Barker said.
‘‘It was only five days but it’s amazing what that does for the progression of the boat.
‘‘The back of your mind you know there is a risk.
‘‘These boats are temperamental and need to be maintained at a high standard. The guys did an amazing job. Pretty much rewired the boat.
‘‘The boat was incredibly good, considering the circumstances. I don’t blame the boat for the end result,’’ he said. — The New Zealand Herald