Yachting: What Carter can expect at the back of the boat

Dan Carter is likely to get his hair wet when he joins Team NZ as 18th man. Photo / Richard Robinson

Dan Carter will need to call on his nippy footwork when he steps on to Emirates Team New Zealand's playing field.

The 18th man stands in the stern of the stripped-down racing machine and in the pre-start ballet, the back of the boat flicks like an angry cat's tail.

Downwind, the deck flattens out and it's like a whippy sleigh ride. He will have to watch out for the boom swinging across in a gybe like a stiff-arm tackle.

Upwind, getting a foothold is a little more difficult; as the boat heels, it's imperative that he dashes to the high-side of the hull with each tack, holds on tight to the frame in front of him and stays low out of the crew's way.

The noise on board will be more piercing than the crowd cacophony of Ellis Park. On the wind, the boat whirrs; the strain on the travellers over his shoulder will crack like a shotgun; and the carbon fibre in the hull constantly groans and shudders as it vibrates under the tension of the sails.

Above the boat noise he will hear Team NZ's bowman Jeremy Lomas counting down the seconds to the start line; Ray Davies, Adam Beashel and Jules Salter, the afterguard, feeding information to skipper Dean Barker; then Barker directing his troops.

Like with any sports field, there will be no food on board and no bathroom facilities. This is no luxury cruiser. In a stiff breeze on the Waitemata, he's likely to get a spray shower or two.

It will be a heady experience for Carter, but it's unlikely we'll ever see him return the favour and let Barker hover on the wing in an All Black test.