Word: zealanders
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...Indian Ocean off Perth's port of Fremantle, is a sailing surprise. Through four elimination rounds since October, Stars & Stripes, the entry of the San Diego Yacht Club, had done well, compiling a 31-7 record. But in last week's challenger final between Conner and New Zealand, pundits and punters favored the "Kiwi Magic" because the boat was 37-1 overall, as well as 2-1 in its previous races with Stars & Stripes. Gloomy American fans worried about an all-Pacific final that would keep the Cup -- and the next contest -- in the Antipodes...
...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 a classic duel of wily...
Last Tuesday, after a week of fine-tuning rudder, rigging and sails and applying strips of plastic film to the hull, Conner came out smoking and caught the Kiwis by surprise. Stars & Stripes crossed the starting line three seconds ahead of New Zealand and never relinquished the lead. On the 24.1-mile course's four windward legs, Conner refused to be drawn into Dickson's practiced tacking maneuvers, in which the lead boat covers the one behind, trying to prevent it from escaping the blockage of its breeze. In a blustery 26-knot wind, Stars & Stripes did not risk losing...
Buoyed by a phone call from Prime Minister David Lange, two miles of thermofaxed messages from 300,000 fans at home and a dockside war dance by Maori tribesmen, New Zealand got lucky in the third race. Stars & Stripes got off to a lead of 21 seconds, but a halyard shackle popped loose as the boat rounded the second mark, sending its spinnaker flapping into the water. Although his crew cleared the wet sail and hoisted a new sheet in 70 seconds, Conner fell behind and was forced into an exhausting two-hour tacking match in which he came about...
...fourth race, he continued with a roar. Never really threatened, Conner pulled off a "horizon job" -- meaning the leader is all but out of sight. The hard-pressed New Zealand had a rash of problems, from gear failures to a ripped mainsail, that left it limping in, a stunned 3:38 behind. "Disastrous," said Dickson. "Everything broke and went wrong." Conner ended the week needing only one victory to clinch the challenger's berth in the finals, while the dispirited Kiwis had to win three. If the draper succeeds, next week he will face either his old nemesis, Perth Millionaire...