Word: skippers
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...with sunscreen goo, joining ten other hearty mates and smashing over the sea in multimillion-dollar pursuit of an ugly, and near worthless, silver jug. Yachtsmen often complain that ocean racing is like standing under an ice-cold shower tearing up thousand-dollar bills. Until recently, Dennis Conner, 44, skipper and mastermind of the smoke-blue Stars & Stripes, might have agreed...
Last week, however, as speakers on the Stars & Stripes tender boomed out the boat's theme song, Danger Zone, from the movie Top Gun, the skipper who lost the America's Cup had come a long way toward putting some glory after his black mark in yachting's record book. Conner's 1983 defeat by Australia broke the New York Yacht Club's 132-year winning streak. This time, Conner has heeled over, hunkered down and blasted to a comfortable -- and unexpected -- 3-1 lead over the fiber-glass-hulled New Zealand in the best-of-seven series to determine...
...strategy paid off as Stars & Stripes grew stronger during the competition. The boat seemed to find a "magical lift," according to rival USA Skipper Tom Blackaller, who lost the semifinals to Conner in four straight three weeks ago. That set the stage for a neat matchup of opposites last week because New Zealand was designed for maneuverability on high seas. The result, says Conner, is "like a fuel dragster vs. a turbocharged Porsche. While the dragster might have more speed in a straight line, he doesn't want to go 24 hours at Le Mans." The series was also...
...Already, starchy Newport, R.I., is stiffening itself to wait until at least 1995 before playing host again to the America's Cup. Even if the Cup is recaptured by one of the two surviving U.S. boats (Stars & Stripes out of San Diego and USA out of San Francisco), neither skipper is likely to choose the East Coast home of the swells for the next trip down...
...winds pick up as they are predicted to do, many old salts think that Conner, considered the best 12-meter skipper in the world, can outsail the "Plastic Fantastic." Stars & Stripes is designed for high wind and heavy seas. When Conner was asked if the Kiwis had a psychological advantage because of their proximity to Australia and the ecstatic backing from home, he said, "They have 3 1/2 million New Zealanders behind them. We'll have 200 million Americans behind us when we meet...