Ben Ainslie at the helm of Emirates Team NZ for LV Act 13

The skippers conference just ended with a big surprise. Dean Barker will not be at the helm of the New Zealand boat during Louis Vuitton Act 13 but will be watching closely the races from the chase boat, keeping a careful eye on the other yachts.

According to Barker this decision was taken in accordance with the team's policy of crew rotation. It seems the New Zealanders will have another important issue to talk about after the alleged buzz created by the Buzzy Bee.

Concerning the rest of teams, Brad Butterworth confirmed that Ed Baird would be at the helm of Alinghi for this Louis Vuitton Act 13, although this was already made public yesterday during the Alinghi meeting with media. Still, Butterworth left open the possibility Peter Holmberg might helm towards the end of the fleet regatta. As Butterworth stated yesterday, the Defender will continue their "UBS Defender Series" here in Valencia, trying to simulate the real America's Cup conditions. For him it is still too early to decide who will helm the boat at the actual America's Cup.

Less than one hour after the end of the conference it was business as usual for everybody and most of the teams left for another day of training.

The Buzzy Bee on the bulb of NZL-84. Valencia, 1 April 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing