Yachting: Dalton, Barker won't be in Ocean Race crew

Team NZ managing director Grant Dalton (right) and operations manager Kevin Shoebridge at the announcement that Team NZ will take part in the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race. Photo / NZPA

Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton says he loves racing around the world but has ruled himself out being on the crew for the Volvo Ocean Race.

With the next America's Cup not expected to be staged until 2013 or 2014, Team NZ today confirmed that it would compete in the 2011-12 Volvo event, with Spanish footwear manufacturer Camper as the primary sponsor.

The syndicate's boat, which Auckland firm Cooksons would begin building in August, will be named Camper and will fly the flags of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the Real Club Nautico de Palma.

Dalton competed in the Volvo's precursor, the Whitbread Round-the-World Race, six times and was twice part of winning teams - in 1981-82 on Flyer and in 1993-94 as skipper of Endeavour.

But he won't be in Camper's 11-strong crew of 10 sailors, three of whom have to under 30, and a cameraman during any of the legs.

"I would love to do some of the race, I would love to do the whole race," he said.

"But I can't because, one, there's money to raise, and it's not fair on the guys to say, `That looks like a fairly cool leg, I'll do that one'."

However, Dalton intended to spend some time sailing on the yacht, describing Volvo Open 70s as "cool boats".

He also said Team NZ was looking on the "open market" for a skipper.

Although, America's Cup skipper Dean Barker had the skills to do the job, his focus was on Team NZ's other campaigns, which include the Louis Vuitton Trophy world match racing series and the MedCup fleet racing circuit, which is sailed in TP52s.

Team NZ are the fifth confirmed entry for the Volvo, which begins at Alicante, in Spain, in October next year, and finishes at Galway, in Ireland, in June 2010, with Auckland being among the stopovers.

The others in the fleet so far are Puma Ocean Racing of the United States, France's Groupama, Italia 70 and a team from Abu Dhabi.

Team NZ had previously ruled themselves out, but Dalton said there was a change of mind after a meeting with America's Cup holders Oracle last month, when the Americans indicated that the next cup regatta was at least three years away.

Dalton added that one of the outcomes from the legal battles between then holders Alinghi and Oracle that stalled the America's Cup in the aftermath of the 2007 regatta in Valencia was that Team NZ needed to diversify to survive.

They hosted the one-off Louis Vuitton Pacific Series last year and participated in the following months in the MedCup, which they went on to win.

Dalton said Team NZ would not be seeking government funding for the Volvo campaign.

He said the Government and Auckland City Council had done their part in securing the Auckland stopover.

Team NZ operations manager Kevin Shoebridge, another round-the-world race veteran, said the Volvo venture would involved about 35 people.

"It will make us stronger as a team, especially on the technical aspects," he said.

"Being able to let the guys loose on a project like this is only good news for the America's Cup long term."

Shoebridge allayed fears that Team NZ might be stretched by being involved in another project.

"The way the calender of events is looking over the next couple of years, they're all going to mesh into each other pretty nicely."

- NZPA