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New Zealand sailing legend David Barnes has died.
The New Zealand nautical community lost a revolutionary figure this Friday with the death of David Barnes. He was 62 years old.
Barnes won three 470 world titles with Hamish Willcox in the early 1980s and then participated in six America’s Cup campaigns between 1985 and 2003, and was famous as captain of the 1988 New Zealand team’s “Big Boat” challenge when they faced Dennis Conner. catamaran.
Willcox partnered with Barnes in 1980 and remembers the helmsman as a deep thinker who was always pushing boundaries when it came to both the technique and the technical side of the sport.
Both were the first New Zealanders to win an Olympic-class world title and the first, in 1981, also turned out to be their first regatta in Europe. They did so after having come up with a different way to sail the 470, lower and faster, and became known for making significant changes to the configuration of the mast and sail, daggerboard and rudder.
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Barnes even tested a two-deck jib sail configuration that is a feature of the current generation of America’s Cup boats. He also came up with a different approach to the mast rake on the Flying Dutchman that everyone in the fleet followed suit.
“David was a very revolutionary thinker,” Willcox said. “He was always thinking outside the box and coming up with new concepts that no one had thought of. He was always looking for an edge and was confident enough to do it himself instead of looking to manufacturers to produce it.
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“That is what sets him apart and continues to do so. He was a pioneer. We didn’t see that happen very often, especially when you come from a far corner of the world like New Zealand. He made significant changes to two Olympic classes and they were all desperately trying to catch up. “
This country was a 470 powerhouse in the 1980s with the likes of Barnes, Willcox, Chris Dickson, Dave Mackay, Peter Evans, Joey Allen, Murray Jones, and Terry and Peter Nicholas.
That internal competition was critical to the overall success of New Zealand sailors – New Zealand crews finished first, second and third at the 1984 world championships, and five were in the top 10, but it also meant that Barnes and Willcox were they lost the Olympic team. the course of their careers.
Both had long-standing associations with the America’s Cup and Barnes became Michael Fay’s right-hand man for the 1988 Big Boat Challenge. He was also in command until the final stages of the 1992 campaign and participated in subsequent campaigns with Australians. , American and British. teams.
“Besides his brains to navigate, he had a natural feeling for a ship,” Willcox said. “I would rate it the highest, if not the highest, of all the ones I have sailed. He was one of the few New Zealanders who could navigate the ship well in light gaits. “
Barnes had his challenges for the past decade while battling multiple sclerosis. In 2013, he became involved with Kiwi Gold Sailing alongside fellow Copa America veteran Rick Dodson while attempting to qualify a Sonar for the 2016 Paralympic Games, but they were removed from the team a year later due to his condition deteriorating.
“He was also a very talented endurance athlete, musician, husband [to Karen] and dad [to Jason, Sacha and Logan]”Willcox said. “He was a great family man, so it’s a great loss for them and a great loss for the boating community.”
– Navigation in New Zealand
