Barker was recently dumped as Team New Zealand helmsman for their 2017 America's Cup campaign, with Peter Burling and Glenn Ashby taking over. Barker was offered a backroom job by Team NZ as sailing coach and performance manager but indicated he had little interest in the position and felt he was best utilised as a sailor.
He might still have a future in America's Cup sailing but he's been signed up by Team Nika as tactician in the RC44 class.
The series, which was is in its ninth year, kicks off in Malta on March 29 and will also head to Italy (June), Sweden (July), Portugal (September) and the British Virgin Islands (November).
It's a series he's sailed in before and he will be joined on the Russian boat by fellow Kiwis Sean Clarkson (pitman) and Jeremy Lomas (bowman).
The class was founded by Sir Russell Coutts and will also feature the likes of Tom Slingsby, Terry Hutchinson, Iain Percy, Ed Baird, Nathan Outteridge, Cameron Appleton and Francesco de Angelis.
As many as 13 teams will compete in the fleet racing and match racing, in a one-design monohull class designed by Coutts in 2007 and it will feature successful businessmen racing alongside some of the world's best sailors.
The tour is made up of two elements -- one-day match racing when the professional skippers or owner-drivers helm the boat and the four days of owner-helmed fleet racing.
Swedish America's Cup syndicate Artemis have entered two boats in the series and there are five syndicates from Russia.
"Having finished 2014 on a high by securing the RC44 Oman Cup with a race to spare, Team Nika is aiming to keep the momentum going by welcoming America's Cup sailor Dean Barker on board to call tactics in Valletta," the RC44 website said today.
NZME.
