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Email from Grant Loretz, who was a trimmer on the Mumm 36: There is no doubt that Barnesy was a clever guy, so many ideas most of which were well ahead of time.  I can remember a project he did with his 470 jibs (double surfaced sails) when I was just a kid.  I recall it being bloody fast but was deemed illegal and the project was put on the shelf but only after he had it working!  Crazy thing was that it resurfaced in Freemantle in 1987 on Australia 4 when Dave was with NZ Challenge and again with Read more

Last Friday (30 October 2020) was a sad day for those attending the funeral at St Joseph’s Church Takapuna of David Barnes but also a massive tribute to him from the yacht racing community.  The occasion, which was attended by everyone who was anyone in New Zealand yacht racing, provided a reminder of the prominent part that Dave played among New Zealand sailors of the past who led the way to New Zealand becoming a powerful participant in International yacht racing. As is well known, Dave (with Hamish Willcox) was the first New Zealander to win a World Championship in Read more