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...away the faulty strut. The damage was repaired 12 min. before the start, but Liberty still had to raise a jib, and its crew, according to Conner, was "close to exhaustion." Then Bertrand once again muffed the start; by the time he recovered he trailed Conner by 37 sec. Well behind, he shifted to starboard and ran for the far left side of the course...
...Just before the start, as Australia II jibed to block Liberty, a 24.6-knot gust smacked the challenger, snapping a pin that holds the mainsail to the halyard and dropping the sail 18 in. 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...
...replay of the third race the winds were feather light once more, and ultralight Australia II, weighing 5,000 lbs. less than Liberty, took to them like a seagull riding the thermals. She beat the American boat by 3 min. 14 sec., the largest margin rung up by a foreign 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...
...faster boat either below or above that range. For the fourth race the breeze was made to order for Liberty. And Dennis Conner, who is probably the world's finest 12-meter skipper, handled his boat masterfully. He won the start from Bertrand by 6 sec. and never let up, skillfully covering the Australian, repeatedly pouncing on the wind shifts he needed to carry him ahead. After two shifts on the first leg, Conner declared, "God works on Tuesdays." Bertrand admitted his error in losing the start: "It was a mistake on my part. One mistake...
...point Conner chose to ignore one of the cardinal rules of match racing, failing to keep Liberty between his opponent and the next mark. "We decided to look for wind," said Conner. It was Bertrand who found it. As they rounded the first mark, the Aussies led by 23 sec., having made up a whole minute. Liberty's strut broke again, and Conner was unable to trim his main properly; by the end Australia II had a 1 min. 47 sec. lead...