View source for Dean Barker (sailor)

{{Short description|New Zealand yachtsman}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox sailor
| name           = Dean Barker
| image          = Dean Barker America's Cup World Series (4).jpg
| image_size     = 
| caption        = 
| birth_name     = 
| fullname       = Dean Raymond Barker
| nickname       = 
| nationality    = 
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1973|4|18}}
| birth_place    = [[Auckland]], New Zealand
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height         = 
| weight         = 
| classes        = [[International America's Cup Class|IACC]], [[TP 52]], [[AC72]], [[AC50]], [[AC75]]
| club           = [[Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron]] (1996–2015)
Kansai Yacht Club (2015–2017)
[[New York Yacht Club]] (2018-2021)
| collegeteam    = 
| coach          = 
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Sport|[[Sailing (sport)|Sailing]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{NZL}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalGold|2000 Split|Match racing}}
| show-medals    = yes
| updated        =
}}

'''Dean Raymond Barker''' (born 8 April 1973) is a New Zealand [[yachtsman]]. He is best known internationally for his participation in [[America's Cup]] yacht races.

==Early life and family==
Barker was born in 1973 in [[Takapuna]], New Zealand. Barker's father is the New Zealander Ray Barker of the [[Barkers Clothing]] retail chain. Dean Barker was educated at [[Westlake Boys High School]]. Barker married former New Zealand [[field hockey]] representative [[Mandy Smith (field hockey)|Mandy Smith]] in February 2004. They have four children, three daughters; Mia, Olivia & Isla and one son, Matteo. Dean Barker is also a major shareholder in [http://kiwiyachting.co.nz/ Kiwi Yachting Consultants].

==Early sailing career==
Barker sailed from an early age, starting out in [[Optimist (dinghy)|Optimist]] and [[P-class sailing dinghy|P Class]] dinghies, before graduating to [[Laser (dinghy)|Laser]]s and [[Finn (dinghy)|Finn]]s.

== Olympic Games ==
* 1996 – Unsuccessfully trialed to represent New Zealand in the [[Finn (dinghy)|Finn]] for the [[Sailing at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Finn|1996 Olympic Games]].
* 2000 – Did not participate in the New Zealand selection trials due to [[America's Cup]] commitments.
* 2004 – Represented New Zealand in the [[Finn (dinghy)|Finn]] finishing 13th out of 25 competitors

== America’s Cup ==
Barker's first introduction to the America's Cup was in 1995 when [[Russell Coutts]] invited him to train with [[Team New Zealand]]. He opted for an Olympic campaign rather than to travel to San Diego.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0406/S00091.htm|title=Grant Dalton introduces the team – Scoop News|website=scoop.co.nz}}</ref> Although he was not involved in the successful challenge, he became a permanent member of the cup defense team once the cup was in Auckland.

Because there was no defender's series Team New Zealand used high intensity in-house racing to prepare for its cup defense. Barker's skill as a match racer rapidly developed and he became skipper of the "B Boat" in these races. Although the racing was not public, and scores were not kept, it became apparent that he was at least holding his own with Coutts.

Team New Zealand went on to successfully defend the 2000 Cup 5–0, with Coutts relinquishing his normal helming role to Barker in the last race. After the 2000 cup there were multiple defections to other syndicates, most notably Coutts and [[Brad Butterworth]] to [[Alinghi]] and as a result Barker became skipper.

In the 2003 Americas Cup, the Swiss boat [[Alinghi]] defeated [[Team New Zealand]] in a 5–0 series. The subsequent internal team review left Barker's reputation intact and he was selected as skipper and helmsman for the [[Louis Vuitton Cup 2007|2007 challenge]].

The renamed [[Emirates Team New Zealand]], with Barker as skipper and helmsman, was one of the challengers for the [[2007 America's Cup|2007 Valencia America's Cup]]. Barker started Team New Zealand's quest to take the [[America's Cup|Cup]] back to New Zealand by winning the challengers' [[Louis Vuitton Cup 2007|2007 Louis Vuitton Cup]]— beating the Italian [[Luna Rossa Challenge]] team 5–0 in the final after the previous elimination of the other 9 challengers. This was the first time that the Louis Vuitton Cup had ever been won without a race loss to the opponent. This gave Emirates Team New Zealand and Barker the opportunity to race the Swiss challenger Alinghi for the 32nd America's Cup.

By winning Race 2 of the [[2007 America's Cup]] against the ''Defender'' [[Alinghi]], Emirates Team New Zealand ensured that the scoreline in the America's Cup would not show a clean sweep victory for the first time in fifteen years. Many experts believed [[Emirates Team New Zealand]] had a good chance of winning but finished the [[2007 America's Cup]] with a 2–5 race defeat.

Overall the [[2007 America's Cup]] racing was close with the final race won by [[Alinghi]], skippered by fellow New Zealander [[Brad Butterworth]], with a winning delta of 1 second.

Barker has participated in two defences and two challenges for the America's Cup.  After the 2007 event, his record as helmsman in Finals was 3 wins to 10 defeats.

In August 2013 Barker once again skippered [[Emirates Team New Zealand]] to victory in the [[2013 Louis Vuitton Cup]]— beating the Italian [[Luna Rossa Challenge]] team 7–1 in the final.  He set a Louis Vuitton/America's Cup speed record in race #7 of {{convert|47|kn}}.

Barker and Team ETNZ then went on to Challenge Americas Team Oracle in the 2013 Americas Cup Final and went on to lose the final. ETNZ at one point during the final series had won 6 of the first 7 races ultimately going on to lose by a score of 9–8. The largest comeback in Americas Cup history. A rift started to emerge between Barker and Team ETNZ's CEO Grant Dalton.

Through 20 September 2013, Dean Barker's record as helmsman in America's Cup ''Finals'' stands at 11–15. With only one more race win needed for Emirates Team New Zealand to secure the Cup, Dean Barker will need one more America's Cup series to break even.

Early 2015 saw Grant Dalton offer Barker a shore-based position in order to make room for a new helmsman, [[Peter Burling (sailor)|Peter Burling]] and a new skipper, Australian sailor [[Glenn Ashby]]. Barker refused to take this position and accepted the offer to become CEO and skipper of a newly formed Japanese syndicate.

On 21 May 2015, Barker was announced as CEO and skipper of the Japanese challenger, [[Softbank Team Japan]].

Barker was the helmsman of the {{em|American Magic}} challenge from the [[New York Yacht Club]] to the [[2021 America's Cup]]. The team lost in the semifinals of the qualifying event [[2021 Prada Cup]] against [[Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli]], despite a strong start in the qualifying event.

==Summary of sailing career==
*1988: [[P-class sailing dinghy|P-Class]] [[Tanner Cup]] (1st), [[P-class sailing dinghy|P-Class]] [[Tauranga Cup]] (1st)
*1991: NZ Laser National Champs (1st)
*1993: Asian Pacific Laser Champs (1st), NZ Matchracing Champs (1st), world youth Laser champs (10th)
*1994: NZ Matchracing champs (1st)
*1995: NZ Matchracing champs (1st)
*1996: Finn class world ranking (15th), Olympic Finn class trials (5th), Kenwood Cup (3rd)
*1997: Steinlager Line 7 Cup (2nd), NZ Matchracing champs (2nd), Sydney-Hobart (9th)
*1998: Australia Cup (1st), ACI Cup Croatia (2nd), [[Stena Match Cup Sweden|Swedish Match Cup]] (3rd), Kenwood Cup (1st)
*2001: ISAF [[World Match Racing Tour|World Matchracing champs]] (1st)
*2003: Skipper and helmsman of [[America's Cup]] defender [[Team New Zealand]] (beaten 0–5 by challenger [[Alinghi]])
*2004: Olympic Games, Finn class (13th)
*2005: Congressional Cup (1st)
*2006: MedCup TP52 circuit (2nd)
*2007: [[Louis Vuitton Cup]] winner and [[America's Cup]] challenger (beaten 2–5 by defender Alinghi)
*2009: [[Louis Vuitton Pacific Series]] (1st)
*2009: [[Audi MedCup]] [[TP 52 (yacht)|TP52]] circuit (1st)
*2010: Audi MedCup TP52 circuit (1st)
*2010: [[Louis Vuitton Trophy]] (3 championship wins)
*2011: [[America's Cup World Series]]
*2013: [[Louis Vuitton Cup]] winner and [[America's Cup]] challenger
*2017: [[Louis Vuitton Cup]] skipper of the [[Softbank Team Japan]]
*2021: Prada Cup helmsman of the [[American Magic]] (beaten 0–4 in semifinals by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli)

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*[http://www.sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=201466&typeID=399&catID=583&exclude= Sailing World article]

== External links ==
*{{World Sailing|id=NZLDB3|www=dean-barker}}
*{{Olympics.com|dean-barker}}
*{{NZOC profile|dean-barker}}
*{{Olympedia}}
*[http://www.emiratesteamnz.com/ Official Website of Emirates Team New Zealand]
*[http://www.kiwiyachting.co.nz/ Kiwi Yachting]
*[http://www.yachtsponsorship.com/2009/02/dean-barker-and-partner-buy-into-nexus-marine/ Dean Barker and Partner Buy Into Nexus Marine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308162115/http://www.yachtsponsorship.com/2009/02/dean-barker-and-partner-buy-into-nexus-marine/ |date=8 March 2012 }}, 26 February 2009
*https://web.archive.org/web/20100618062911/http://www.nexusmarine.se/Default.aspx?epslanguage=EN
*https://web.archive.org/web/20100710111603/http://www.nexusmarine.se/templates/NewsPage____348.aspx?epslanguage=EN
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110719073812/http://www.tourvoile.fr/fr/2010/actualite/les-news/bapteme-du-premier-m34.html

{{Footer World Champions Open Match Racing}}
{{2004 New Zealand Olympic team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Dean}}
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:New Zealand male sailors (sport)]]
[[Category:Team New Zealand sailors]]
[[Category:Extreme Sailing Series sailors]]
[[Category:Olympic sailors for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Sailors at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Finn]]
[[Category:2017 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:2013 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:2007 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:2003 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:2000 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:2021 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:American Magic]]
[[Category:People from Takapuna]]
[[Category:People educated at Westlake Boys High School]]