Word: conner
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Underdog is what they remained in the first two races, both captured handily by Liberty. While two of the Aussies' losses could be ascribed mainly to equipment failures, their nemesis loomed as Dennis Conner, Liberty's fearsome skip per. Conner defended the Cup against the Aussies in 1980, winning four out of five races. He is not an endearing man: he is anxious, abrasive and overweight, hard and unforgiving on the water. Co-author of a book called No Excuse to Lose, he has spent 6,000 hours at the helm of 12-meter boats over the past...
...knot winds that were considered slightly favorable to Liberty, Skipper Bertrand got Australia II off to a lead of a few seconds and held it into the third leg as the boats headed off into Rhode Island Sound. But then Bertrand let the U.S.'s Conner sneak up on his tail. Liberty slipped in front and never let up. Before rounding the last mark to sail home against the wind, Conner surprised his opponent by jibing suddenly to change course. As Bertrand wheeled his boat to follow, part of Australia II's steering gear snapped. Conner...
...Despite this handicap, Bertrand beat the U.S. yacht on the first upwind leg by 50 sec., a remarkable margin that displayed his boat's inherent speed. Unable to match his opponent in tacking duels, Bertrand decided to go off in search of a breeze. Left alone, it was Conner who found the wind-and won, by 1 min. 33 sec. "God smiled on us," said the American skipper, "and we managed things a little better." More to the point, one yachting expert observed (prematurely as it turned out), "Conner does not have accidents." Bertrand filed an official protest when...
...Australia 0. In very light winds Australia II simply wiped out Liberty. As the yachts rounded the last mark for the beat to the finish, Australia led by more than 5 min., a colossal margin in a race of 24.3 miles. Bertrand was sitting half a mile ahead of Conner when the wind died. There is a time limit of 5 hr. 15 min. on the race, which ran out, and the result did not count. That was bad luck for the Aussies, but their mooted victory came as a needed adrenaline shot at the ebb of their fortunes...
...challenger since 1871. John Marshall, the mainsheet trimmer on Liberty, said after the race, "There is a speed difference in these two yachts like I have never seen. Australia II is something new, very thoughtful and very exciting." Asked how he spent the day off after his first loss, Conner replied, "I worried." After that race Conner even said that he was "aware of the possibility" that the U.S. could lose...