Conner’s Hope Misses Cue as Curtain Rises

We hope that the unveiling ceremony of “Stars and Stripes,” Dennis Conner’s new test yacht in his quest to return the America’s Cup to America, isn’t an indicator of things to come.

The 12-meter yacht, with its mystery keel, was christened in New York last month, then trucked under cover to San Diego, where all but its keel were to be unveiled at a swish press conference last Wednesday at the Town and Country. (Its parent, Atlas Hotels, is one of Conner’s corporate sponsors.)

The stage was literally set for the yacht; the place was all gussied up with flags and banners, and corporate brass in their three-piece suits and well-heeled members of the Sail America Foundation mingled with the national media, amidst friendly banter about how Conner was going to recapture the cup from the Aussies, who unveiled their own mystery keel quite successfully in 1983. But the star of the show--the yacht--was a no-show for its own unveiling.

Seems that the logistics folks didn’t begin trying to line up the necessary Caltrans permits to truck the yacht from its National City shipyard to Mission Valley until the day before the unveiling. And that wasn’t enough time to cut through the paper work.

“We had everyone in the city trying to help us get the clearance, but we just couldn’t get the right people together,” said Atlas Hotel’s Phil Mogle. After speeches, everyone was invited to ride by bus down to the shipyard for a first-hand look. But there weren’t many takers.

“Stars and Stripes” will make its public debut on Sept. 22 for a match race in San Diego Harbor against “Liberty,” Conner’s ’83 yacht which lost to Australia II.

Are any permits needed? “It’s all been taken care of,” Mogle promised. “The Coast Guard, the Navy, Caltrans, the San Diego Police--they all know about this, I promise.”

Deep-Seated Travelers

If summer has slipped through your fingers without you slipping out for some out-of-town vacation adventures, you may want to take in one of the “Armchair Travelogs” presented by the Rancho Santa Fe Library Guild.

It’s a chance to view someone else’s slides or movies, for a sort of vicarious vacation. But we’re not talking about snapshots of the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, or even such pedestrian European destinations as London or Paris.

Remember, this is Rancho Santa Fe.

The Sept. 19 program will feature a 45-minute slide presentation on Bangkok by world traveler James Baldry.

The October program will feature a doctor’s story of living more than a year in the Antarctic. Other Armchair Travelogs have taken viewers to the heights of Nepal, deep into Mexico’s Copper Canyon, behind the Great Wall of China and down the Nile.

“Most of the people who come to view the travelogs are sophisticated enough--we’ve already done London, Paris and Rome, and we’re looking for the more exotic,” said Caryl Krueger, a Library Guild spokeswoman.

And, she promises, there’s not a single picture of the photographer’s spouse standing in front of this or that. Snapshots of loved ones may be fine for the family scrapbook, but have no place in a travelog, she says.

The travelogs began informally three years ago. “So many of us at the Ranch love to travel, and many are fine photographers and good speakers. We came together to share our travels--so we can enjoy Nepal without having to get on horseback.”

Krueger is worried about leaving the impression that this is a snooty bunch who have forsaken the beauty of the United States for more romantic travels overseas. Not so, she says.

February’s program will showcase the life style sights along the Mississippi River. “And the most popular program we’ve had was when Gwen Stoughton presented her program, ‘From Sea to Shining Sea.’ It showed the majesty of America, and the breadth of its beauty. When it was over, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”

Proud Day for Dogdom

One of the Oceanside Police Department’s most decorated employees has retired, at the age of 11. North, a German shepherd police dog, has hung up his collar, as it were.

He was retired because being 11 is getting kind of old for police work. That’s 77 to you and me, of course, and we doubt you’ll be out dogging criminals when you’re 77.

North’s handler, Sgt. Curt Milam, says North is the senior canine cop in the county, and everyone’s sad to see him retire to the family home.

The Oceanside cops still talk of the day when North tangled with an armed and dangerous suspect who was lured out of a house. “North made the arrest without any shots being fired,” Milam said. “The idea was for the dog to take him by surprise--and he did.”

A dog made an arrest? “Well, basically, he attacked and bit the guy,” Milam explained. It’s a tactic few police officers use, but dogs can carry it off quite nicely.

How many people has North bitten? “We figure he made between 200 and 225 arrests,” Milam answered diplomatically.

Who said law enforcement doesn’t have any teeth?