Young88 Nationals: Dean Barker defends his National title

Dean Barker and his winning crew - 2022 Young 88 Harken National Championship - February 2022 © Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

Dean Barker has won a few boat races in his time but few compare to winning a national title alongside a handful of his best mates.

Those friends, though, happen to be some of this country's most accomplished sailors, with anything from world titles to America's Cup successes and Ocean Race wins throw in for good measure.

Barker skippered Danger Zone to a second straight Young 88 national title over the weekend, sailing alongside Tony Rae, Jeremy Lomas, Ray Davies, Richard Meacham, James Dagg and Chris Ward.

"It was really special," said Barker, who called tactics over the weekend with Lomas on the tiller. "When we bought the boat it was an opportunity to bring the kids out and do a bit of sailing. Last year I had my daughter and another 29er sailor with us onboard. Unfortunately this year with the timing of other events, like Oceanbridge [NZL Sailing Regatta], we were a little bit light on with the kids.

"It opened another opportunity to sail with a bunch of guys I have sailed all my life with, really. It’s incredibly special to get out with them. It’s all the people I did match racing and the America’s Cup with over many years. You get to really cherish doing things like this.

"You get to go out in a relaxed environment but at a reasonably high level. There’s a huge amount of banter on the boat. You certainly can’t afford to make any mistakes because you hear about it."

That was the case during the first race of the national championships, when they collided with another boat and picked up a five-point penalty. It turned out to be their drop for the regatta as they went on to win five of the next six races, but it meant they came under some pressure to perform.

Barker and Danger Zone finished 12 points ahead of War Machine (Chris Macindoe) in the 13-boat fleet, with Undercover (Nick Egnot-Johnson) a further five points behind in third.

First Corinthian (no pros) went to Jacko Van Deventer on Sailor Moon, and Roger Sims on Heartlight was the first boat on performance handicap.

The fleet did most of their racing across the two days north of Rangitoto as race management went in search of consistent breeze with light winds forecast. Although the final table looked clearcut, Barker said the racing was a lot closer than the results perhaps indicated.

"The standard is actually really high," he said. "The boats, given there’s a huge variety in terms of age, equipment and crew, they actually plod along at close enough the same speed. You really are forced to turn up and race well in every race.

"A lot of different boats were at the front end and you definitely had to work to get a top-three placing, which is the way it should be."

Barker is keen to race Danger Zone more regularly, citing things like the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's midweek and winter series racing, and get a few of his mates alongside him.

"We are definitely keen to do a lot more of it and it will be nice to sail with a combination of the guys who were on the boat and their kids," he said. "It’s a really nice way to get out there with the kids as well and give them a crack of doing some racing in a different environment.

"The [Young] 88 is great because it’s not too big you’re worried things could go wrong but at the same time they are getting an experience of a very different type of boat."

Results and standings from the Harken Young 88 national championships (13 boats):

1st: Danger Zone (Dean Barker) (9 DPI1) 1 1 1 1 3 1 - 8 points

2nd: War Machine (Chris Macindoe) 3 2 2 (6) 5 6 2 - 20 pts

3rd: Undercover (Nick Egnot-Johnson) 2 (8) 3 3 2 8 7 - 25 pts

For full results click here