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RICKY WILSON / Stuff
It was a sad and unfortunate end to Dean Barker’s 2021 America’s Cup campaign with American Magic in their home waters in Auckland.
ANALYSIS: Where is Dean Barker going now?
This was not the ending he wanted for his last America’s Cup campaign, as American Magic overcame Luna Rossa’s 4-0 to exit Auckland 2021, eventually limping with more damage in the pot as the defeated semifinalist in the series. of challengers.
Will it be the end of your time at the helm of a Cup yacht?
1 NEWS
In a life and death Prada Cup race, Dean Barker and American Magic’s worst fears came true.
At the age of 47, time is ticking on the Aucklander in what is becoming an ever younger sailors game.
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A Team New Zealand stalwart, Barker has sailed to Japan and the United States since Peter Burling supplanted him on the Kiwi ship for the successful Bermuda 2017 campaign.
Burling just turned 30 and appears to have a long America’s Cup career ahead of him.
Barker has surely entered his twilight zone.
The talent pool of sailors who can steer the helm on these big, incredibly fast foil boats is shallow.
But hopefully that group will deepen as the frustrated revolution begins to swallow more kinds of ships.
Barker has a strong ally in American Magic captain Terry Hutchinson, who has shown unconditional support for his teammate Kiwi during this difficult season.
What will the review of this New York Yacht Club failure discover? Millions and millions have been invested here for little performance. New teams must have a long-term vision if they are serious about competing. Instant success is rare, though it is rarely as cruel as what American Magic has experienced.
New York’s effort has been a disaster since December when they looked like the best challenger, finishing second behind the New Zealand team in the world series regatta.
Since then, they have not won a race. They lost eight on the trot.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
American Magic had no response against Luna Rossa in the Prada Cup semifinal.
The near sinking of his Patriot boat was a calamity that always seemed too great to return. And so it turned out.
The communications confusion that led to that overturn did not reflect well on the stern of American Magic.
His work since his notable return has not been great either. His confidence seemed to evaporate.
Barker, a proven racing driver, lacked aggressiveness in the starting box and had no response to the dual focus of his former nemesis Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni, the Luna Rossa’s co-helmsmen.
As Hutchinson admitted, they were never able to implant their Plan A in the Italians and that was not helped by the technical problems that again ruined them in their fateful final race on Saturday.
Carlo Borlenghi
A young Dean Barker celebrates the New Zealand team’s 2000 America Cup defense with Russell Coutts.
Barker has a wealth of America’s Cup experience: one win in 2000 and three agonizing losses in the Cup final in 2003, 2007 and 2013.
He has been a wanted man at the wheel of great regattas all over the world. Will he be a wanted man as a helmsman as the America’s Cup progresses?
It’s a fascinating juncture for one of New Zealand’s most proven boaters.
He did not want to be the coach of the New Zealand team after the heartbreak of 2013 in San Francisco.
He believed he still had a future in the America’s Cup in the highest-profile role on a ship and the Japan team and American Magic agreed.
Now we wait to see if that Barker record is still there.
