America's Cup - Dean Barker Interview - The Past, Present and Future
by Sail-World.com NZL on 1 Oct 2015
Training Day 2 - Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Portsmouth, 35th America's Cup Americas Cup Media
www.americascup.com
America's Cup media interview with Softbank Team Japan skipper and CEO, Dean Barker as he looks ahead to the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Bermuda, and reflects on his exit from his old team, Emirates Team NZ - along with the dark days in San Francisco as the team were trounced by Oracle Team USA.
The 42year old Barker began his sailing at Auckland's Murray's Bay Sailing Club in the Optimist class before moving into the Laser class, winning an ISAF Youth Championship in 1991. After a poor laser World Championships at Takapuna in 1992, Barker moved across to Match Racing - placing second in this first regatta, the Auckland Match Racing Championships against a classy field.
He was soon snapped up by Emirates Team New Zealand, and at 26years old sailed the final and winning race in the 2000 America's Cup Defence.
He won the 2004 World Match racing Championships, and after the exit of the so-called 'Tight Five' from Team New Zealand in 2000, Barker Won the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2007 and 2013, and competed in a total of four America's Cups before parting ways with Emirates Team New Zealand after a restructuring for financial reasons.
He was snapped up by the fledgling Japanese team and ironically is working closely with the team, Oracle Team USA - who delighted in needling Barker right through the 34th America's Cup.
He has now relocated, with his family, to Bermuda.
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