David Barnes (sailor) facts for kids
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| Born | 27 April 1958 Wellington, New Zealand |
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| Died | 23 October 2020 (aged 62) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Sailing | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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David John Barnes (born April 27, 1958, died October 23, 2020) was a famous sailor from New Zealand. He was well-known for racing in the exciting America's Cup competition. David also won the 470 World Championships three times, showing he was one of the best sailors in the world.
Contents
Early Life and School
David Barnes was born in Wellington, which is the capital city of New Zealand. He went to school at Tawa College. Later in his life, he got married to Karen in 1986. They had three children together.
Amazing Sailing Adventures
David Barnes had a truly impressive sailing career. He started winning championships when he was quite young.
Early Wins
- In 1973, he won two important youth sailing events: the Tanner Cup and the Tauranga Cup in the PClass boat.
- The next year, in 1974, he won the National Championship in the Starling Class.
- He also placed third in the World Youth Championship for the 420 Class in 1975.
- In 1976, he was third in the World Youth Championship for the Fireball Class. That same year, he was a reserve sailor for the Olympics in the 470 Class.
World Champion in 470 Class
David became a world champion in the 470 Class boat not just once, but three times!
- He won his first World Championship 470 in 1981.
- He won again in 1983.
- And he won for a third time in 1984. This shows how skilled and consistent he was.
America's Cup Challenges
David Barnes was a key part of several America's Cup teams for New Zealand. The America's Cup is one of the oldest and most famous sailing races in the world.
- In 1985, he was part of the New Zealand America's Cup team in Perth, Australia. He was a skipper for one boat and an alternate helmsman for another.
- In 1987, he was the skipper for a boat called KZ7. They won the 12-metre Worlds in Sardinia, which was a big win before the America's Cup.
- In 1988, David was the skipper of the KZ1 yacht for New Zealand. They raced against the United States' boat, Stars & Stripes US-1, in the America's Cup in San Diego.
- He continued to be involved in the America's Cup. In 1992, he was a tactician and one of the directors for the New Zealand team.
- In 1995, he worked with the One Australia team as a testing helmsman and part of the design team.
- He also skippered a boat for the America True team in 2000. He helped with their testing program and was a conceptual director.
- His last America's Cup involvement was in 2003, where he was the General Manager for the GBR team.
Later Years and Legacy
Later in his life, David Barnes was diagnosed with a condition called multiple sclerosis. This condition affects the brain and spinal cord.
In 2013, he joined a group called Kiwi Gold Sailing. This group included paralympians, who are athletes with disabilities. They were trying to qualify a special type of boat called a Sonar for the 2016 Paralympics. Another famous America's Cup sailor, Rick Dodson, was also part of this team.
Sadly, David's condition worsened, and he had to leave the team in 2014. David Barnes passed away on October 23, 2020, when he was 62 years old. He is remembered as a truly talented and dedicated sailor who achieved great things in the world of sailing.
