Chris Dickson

We really don't need to tell you who Chris Dickson is, do we? It is safe to say that he, while perhaps not beloved, is highly respected as one of the best and toughest sailors to be found anywhere. Hired, then relegated to the sidelines by Larry Ellison, he rather quickly found himself thrust into the saviour role with Oracle. To say that he then re-established himself on the world's toughest stage would be an accurate statement. To our knowledge, Chris has not done any media interviews, so we are stoked that he chose to go with us. Enjoy.

Going into the LVC finals against Alinghi, how did you assess your chances against them?

CD
Alinghi were the obvious and logical favourites. We had improved considerably since the quarterfinals and we thought we would be competitive…and we were. I felt that if we could get lighter and shifty conditions we could be strong against them and we were so in hindsight there were no big surprises. We got a lot of our conditions and Alinghi sailed very well and were perhaps a little faster than we had hoped they would be.

Do you think Alinghi has been sandbagging?

CD
In the ¼ and semi finals I thought Alinghi had been playing a bit but now I am not so sure. We were competitive against them in the finals and we wouldn't have needed to do a lot of things much differently to have had a different score sheet.

We all know that you asked Larry not to sail on the boat. How did that conversation go? Was he pissed? Are you still part of the Sayonara program?

CD
Larry brought me in to improve the after guard, the communication, the teamwork and liaison with the designers. I was effectively an extra person aboard and obviously we could not race with 17 crew. I had to make a decision to take off a skilled person from somewhere. Take off the navigator? Our wind guy? Our tactician? Our starting helmsman? Our upwind helmsman? Myself? Larry and I looked hard at the combinations and we talked a lot about the options within the team. We couldn't all be there. Larry gave me his position. I admire him for his commitment to the team. Larry really enjoys his sailing and so it was a really tough call but he did what was best for the campaign. There is no conflict and we continue to be in contact and on good terms as always.

What was the real story behind Cayard and Chris getting benched?

CD
Part of all our contracts effectively says what happens inside Oracle BMW Racing stays inside Oracle BMW Racing and so it is only reasonable and fair to the whole team as well as the individuals that we respect that.

From a personal point of view, I can understand Paul Cayard's disappointment at being removed from the base.

What were your roles in the day-to-day workings of the syndicate before you were brought back?

CD
I started with Oracle BMW Racing in 2000 as skipper although that position was very quickly made redundant. In 2001 I moved to a liaison/ co-ordination role between the sailing and design teams, I was at various times a part of the sailing team. In 2002 I moved to shore base research, rules, and technical projects and then in October was brought back to skipper the boat, and be responsible for every aspect of the boat, crew and sailing operations.

Was there EVER any thought to bringing Cayard back into an active role on the boat?

CD
Not by any of the key team members at any meetings I was present at.

Paul Cayard had some not so flattering things to say about you in a recent CNN interview. Your thoughts on Paul?

CD
I haven't seen the interview. Paul Cayard is a very successful sailor- just look at his record. I supported hiring Cayard in the first place but then later supported those recommending his benching. I can also understand his disappointment at being removed.

What was your rational for choosing when to drive and when to let Holmberg drive?

CD
My own role was decided in consultation with the key members of the team and really depended on the conditions, the race strategy and strategy for a particular part of the race. It was also my responsibility to liase with the R and D and Design Teams, which necessitated as thorough an understanding of the boat as possible.

Can you comment on the differences in steering style between you and Holmberg? You seemed to jerk the wheel more than anyone else.

CD
Holmberg is an excellent "seat of the pants" helmsman whereas I tend to be more of a numbers helmsman. Research shows there was very little difference in helm movement between all our helmsmen but helm movement was very dependent on the sea conditions of the day.

How did the design of Oracle evolve though the LVC? How was she originally configured; for what wind conditions; how involved was Farr in proposing alterations; what modifications, when were they done and what performance changes were you trying to achieve?

CD
I can only comment from my direct involvement from late October onwards. We worked hard on changing our boat to position ourselves tactically against first One World and later against Alinghi while also changing for the lighter summer conditions. I'm not going to give details but we continued to evolve the configuration and refine the rig, sails and appendages throughout the competition. Part of my brief was responsibility for the performance development. We had a large design team including Bruce Farr who contributed to the discussions and decisions on a daily basis. Bruce and I shared an office, which lead to both frequent and fluid discussions.

In terms of ramping up the Oracle program which would you attribute the greatest improvement; your duties as a driver, or skills as tactician? Or is there something else that you brought to the table that we did not see?

CD
Did we cover this one already??

Anyway, I was brought back in the middle of racing and my brief included responsibility for the Performance development and analysis, a review of the helming, review of tactics, improve on board communication in the after guard and speed (helm/trim) teams. Review decision-making processes, crew.

So, most of what I was doing was not openly seen but that is the same for most programs. Keep in mind I had not sailed USA-76 before, had not sailed AC boats for 9 months and had not been match racing for over a year, and, I had no expectation of being called up!! Naturally for me to assume the above responsibilities meant others were moved aside which most took very well. It took me some time and a lot of help from key people to figure out what could be improved, what was working well and what was not. I was a bit like the outside management consultant brought in to help a business perform better, or the marriage counsellor, and, by the way, results are needed now! The point being in this position you don't expect 100% co-operation and figuring out improvements takes a little longer than you hope. We got there; the team did a great job of reacting and improving. We went from being on the ropes in a must win situation just to be in the top four, to making the top two, never losing another race except to Alinghi, and getting to the level where we lead Alinghi in four out of the six races in the Finals. We came a long way, just not quite far enough.

Which do you prefer, a well funded campaign with competing egos like Oracle; or a smaller campaign with less money but more freedom like Tag Heuer?

CD
Wow an easy one. The best campaign is without doubt: well funded, clear leadership, strong management, and absolutely NO competing egos and NO private agendas. Should be easy. Huh!

Why have you not been involved in Team New Zealand?

CD
Team New Zealand is a private sports Team and can hire whom they want. Look at the top 5 teams in 2003 including TNZ. There were kiwis driving all 5 out of 5 at some stage through the racing. Simply there are more great kiwis in yacht racing than kiwi boats to put them all on. Rest assured if there was enough money to pay for it, NZ could and would design, build, and sail probably 4 Americas Cup Teams and it wouldn't surprise me to see them take most of the top spots. Reality is Team New Zealand doesn't need 4 skippers so there are going to be either 3 on the sidelines doing nothing or they'll be getting on with what they are good at in other teams.

What happened after '87?

CD
The NZ Challenge was wrapped up after 87. Subsequently Michael Fay and what eventually became Team NZ hired and fired a number of skippers. I wasn't one of them.

Why does the NZ public embrace Coutts and Barker and not you?

CD
I don't think your comment is correct. I have always had and still enjoy a huge amount of public support in New Zealand. Indeed, At Oracle BMW Racing we have enjoyed a huge Kiwi following and although naturally biased, I perceive and understand I am still fully " embraced" by the NZ public.

It is no secret that you are not a crew favourite. Are you aware of that, and does it bother you in any way?

CD
I set high standards for myself and my crew and expect 100% effort. Let's face it; IF before you started a campaign you told any of us that the skipper would be changed half way through racing, you would invoke some pretty strong emotions and understandably so. At this level it is results that count and the team was not getting the results but on some accounts was having a good time! So, Larry did what many team members had felt necessary for a long time.

Now you are brought in to skipper a boat that despite the score sheet, many thought they were doing just fine. I could have had a clean out and removed those who were previously in other corners; but I didn't. Those who were happy with things how they were could have left the program. Only one out of 140 did. Any who felt strongly about me could have got off the boat or left the program. None did. With one or two exceptions, all got on with doing a thorough and professional job, myself included, and I congratulate them all for doing so in less than ideal circumstances. We all got on with it, we improved a lot, we came a long way, acted professionally, did a professional job, and most importantly won more races. In the circumstances, I think that says a lot about the whole team and despite what personal biased opinions we all might have, we worked as a team. Well done everyone.

What would the members of the crew say about your performance and leadership skills, good and bad?

CD
You would have to ask people yourself but my understanding is that even those who were against change finally accepted that the leadership, decision making, and performance of the team was improved when I was brought back AND supported in my role.

What do you feel was your greatest moment in the series? Your greatest fuck-up?

CD
In the semis Repechage against One World, we had (at times) a great boat speed edge. This was a great reflection on the whole teams efforts and made the racing that much easier. I set the goal of winning every race and the Team made it. The 4 to nil (4 to negative 1 actually) score sheet in that series was a great achievement for us. The worst moments were trawling the kite and pole against Alinghi in the finals as although not a race deciding move, it was a highly visible one that made the team out to be worse than we were. (Although it was a good trawl!) . The other majors of course were the two penalties we copped in the finals, both of which did cost us a race. We played them down a bit at the time but they really had a huge influence on the racing and the result.

In race five against Alinghi, you guys were being rolled off the wind. You seemed to want to jibe away, but instead reached up into Alinghi. What was the strategy for that, and why didn't you do what you wanted to do (gybe away)?

CD
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda. This is the other sad one because this move cost us the race. My style of skippering and tactics is to get the facts on the table for all to see (or hear), form my own private opinion, canvas other opinions, discuss other options if they are supported then make a final call. Keep repeating the process if there is time and a changing situation. That was an occasion when my first analysis turned out to be the right one and I should have stuck with it. I'm happy we looked at the options the way we did but obviously in hindsight I made the wrong call. That is one of those situations where insufficient time together as an after guard racing lead us to errors. The errors were in not gybing away and then in not executing the plan we did do. If I had known (or thought) we weren't going to be able to lead Alinghi back, we would have gybed away. I know now!

Given perfect hindsight, what would you have done differently in assembling the team, boat design, testing, etc?

CD
I didn't actually assemble the team in the first place. Starting any new team with no boats, no assets, no people and limited time is always going to be difficult and is probably unique to those exact circumstances in history. With hindsight we can generally improve most things in life but the real lesson is learning from those experiences and evolving to do things better next time.

Again, the team came a long way, fought back from must win situations, made the finals and was stronger against Alinghi than ever before. There were more good things achieved than negatives. Don't forget that the core of the Alinghi team have been together for many years and have won the last two AC's. The Oracle BMW team is only 2 years old, and our finals team only had 2 months together. A pretty good effort for a brand new team.

What was Ellison talking to you about in the 'Caption Contest' photo on Sailing Anarchy? And what was your favorite caption???

CD
We were all depressed after losing a race and didn't want to dwell on it. Larry was trying to get us onto other subjects and started on this fishing story. He was up to the bit about "the fish was this big…………"

If you could be on any of the teams, which one would you choose and why?

CD
Oracle BMW Racing. It was a first time effort, assembled a huge group of very talented people, and got to the Louis Vuitton Final. There were a lot of successes in the program. I also enjoy sailing with and working for Larry. We would have liked to have gone further but there were many teams who didn't do this well.

Who do you think will win the America's Cup this year?

CD
Team NZ.

What format for the LVC and America's Cup races would you recommend to increase the watch ability of the event? Fleet racing, shorter courses, faster boats, slower boats, naked women, shark-infested waters?

CD
How about huge barges for the start/finish line and leeward mark gate? Spectator stands, food stalls, lounges etc. No penalty for hitting the mark of course.

What do you think of the members of TNZ who jumped ship to Alinghi for what appears to be nothing more than money?

CD
Recently it has come to light that there was more than money involved. I wasn't privy to the circumstances and dealings so have no comment.

Was there any credence to the kites that you guys were testing? Was it all just a great smokescreen or was there actually something to it?

CD
Yes there was something to it. You talk about all sorts of weird ideas in these campaigns and occasionally a wing keel, or a hula is the result. For every successful one there are dozens that came close. The kite is one of those that came close.

What is your favorite type of boat to sail? You've obviously sailed lots, from IACCs to Tornados, to Whitbred (Volvo) 60's, to skiffs. What boat makes him have the biggest smile? And do you actually smile?

CD
Just did and still am (smiling that is). A Whitbread 60 downwind in 40 knots (42 gets ugly) is as good as it gets downwind whereas an AC boat upwind in 20 knots of puff is pretty powerful sailing. Both of those are hard work so for a big smile, hand me the wheel of a cruising yacht, with roller furling everything, a nice warm breeze and an ice cold beer, 5 anchorages to choose from somewhere on the horizon with no time limit and no hurry to get there. Now I be smiling!

Share your thoughts regarding the Hula. Will it make a race winning difference? Do you give credit to TNZ for clever design?

CD
Yes it will give TNZ an edge downwind and upwind in a breeze. Very clever, very well put together, very well handled with the construction, measurement and rules as well as with their opposition and the media. Nice job TNZ. It isn't a race winner but it will sure help.

Do you think any rule changes to the boats are necessary?

CD
Yes. Modernize materials; modernize sail and mast rules to have AC rule at the leading edge in all respects.

If you were coaching TNZ with one week to go, and bearing in mind Alinghi's strengths and weaknesses, what 3 things would you practice?

CD
Look at Alinghi's time and distance and positioning at the start (it's the best of any) then go practice your own.

Work on upwind tactics against a faster boat (Alinghi might be faster upwind)

Work on boat on boat defending and attacking downwind (you might need to do some of both)

If you had the choice to choose your own team, would you pick those you know you would not have conflict with but maybe not the best for the job, or choose those who are best for the job but he may have conflict with? And, how do you deal with conflict within a team?

CD
I have always chosen the best person for the job. The person with the most skills, the best track record, the most dedicated. Overall, everyone must share a common goal. In my experience, personal conflict is solvable if you are all heading in the same direction.

What is next for you, sailing wise?

CD
Observe the AC to see where, when and how the next one will take place.

Tell us how the process of being Chris Dickson, world-class sailor, works. Do people just call you up and offer you $x amount to sail? Are you under contract with Ellison? Do you ever have to call people to offer your services?

CD
No I am not under contract to Larry. I used to race and work on racing 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Now I have a wonderful wife, two lovely children and enjoy our own family boating as well as some farming. I am very selective about which races I do but am fortunate to race with some of the world's best owners with great teams in fun places.

What is your take on the boat for the next Volvo race and the conflict with Peyron's maxi cat race?

CD
No opinion

What book are you currently reading, and what CD/albums do you listen to?

CD
Just finished Prey. Michael Creighton. It was average. Listening to Van Halen: Greatest hits.

What do you do for fun outside of this sport?

CD
Two lovely little energetic daughters, family boating, farming.

Thanks Chris, let's stay in touch.

CD
You are very welcome. Thanks for calling.