Conner Is Confident His Crew Will Reclaim the America’s Cup

In 400-odd days two multimillion dollar yachts will cross a starting line in the Indian Ocean to vie for the America’s Cup. One boat will be Australian; American Dennis Conner believes he will be at the helm of the other.

And this time Conner, the skipper who lost the 134-ounce silver pitcher to Australia in 1983 and ended 132 years of U.S. domination, does not intend to come away empty-handed.

“I’m confident (of victory), but we can not let up at all,” says the 43-year-old sailor. “There are no guarantees. But if we have as good a boat as the competition going in, we’ll win it. If we have a better boat, it will be boring.”

Conner lets the last sentence tail off and then smiles broadly. He is a highly technical yachtsman, not given to idle boasts.

To get to the final starting line off Perth, Western Australia, on Jan. 31, 1987, he must carefully manage the spending of millions of dollars, tune his crew to precision and then outsail nearly a dozen boats from around the world in preliminary competition.

Yet, the early optimism, he says, is based on performance of his racing syndicate’s new 12-meter boat, Stars & Stripes ‘85, during six weeks of training in waters off Honolulu.

At the moment, his Sail America syndicate thinks it has the fastest racer in the world, faster than other contenders from the United States and Europe--and faster than the Aussies who turned the sport upside down in Newport two years ago, winning four races in the best-of-seven series.

Conner spoke to Reuters last week during a quick fund-raising trip to New York from the training base in Hawaii. The interview took place in the library of the New York Yacht Club, two floors above the trophy room many thought would house the America’s Cup forever.

With his deep suntan and green blazer, Conner looked slightly out of place among the tweedy set in the club’s hallowed rooms and he joked about the stuffiness of the place.

But he remains a member and sailed Liberty in the club’s unsuccessful cup defense against Australia II, the vaunted “winged-keel” 12-meter belonging to a syndicate headed by millionaire businessman Alan Bond.

After the loss, however, Conner put together the new syndicate based at his home San Diego Yacht Club. The New York yacht club has mounted its own challenge and has two boats training in Fremantle, the sea village near Perth.

Both groups will probably spend more than $12 million each.

Connor downplays the expected clash between the two principal U.S. syndicates in the challenger trials scheduled to begin off Perth next October, saying he expects a stiff test from the Italy, which placed surprisingly well in 1983.

“The Italians are well organized, have plenty of money and strong leadership. They will be tough,” he says.

Asked about New Zealand, which many racing fans view as a darkhorse, Conner says: “They are good seamen, but don’t have a reputation for terrific technique.”

He also faulted the New Zealanders for using fiberglass as opposed to aluminum favored by the other designers, saying that could cause haggling over design standards--the racers average 65-feet in length and the 12-meter designation is based on a formula that takes in size, sail area and displacement.

Conner said the glass construction could also hurt New Zealand in the event of an accident. Four 12-meters, including the two Bond boats, were temporarily put out of action by racing collisions last weekend.

In the end, Conner expects the final will match him and Bond’s boat from the Royal Perth Yacht Club--and the outcome will depend on mastery of high technology.

It was Australia’s domination of computerized racing technology more than the mysterious winged-keel that brought victory in 1983, according to many yachting observers. It gave them a faster boat and the fastest boat usually wins.

Sail America has budgeted $3 million for design research and technology and the early tests in Hawaii showed “we were right on target,” says Conner, adding that Stars & Stripes ’85 was “substantially” faster than Liberty.

“The Liberty crew doesn’t feel like racing the boat any longer. It’s too slow,” he says.

Syndicate members say it is not so much the speed of Stars & Stripes ’85 as the accuracy of the computer projections from day one of the design process that has boosted team confidence.

Another new 12-meter, Stars & Stripes ‘86, will arrive in Hawaii later this month and after more testing, a third boat might be built for the challenge in Australia.

Like leaders of the other syndicates, Conner refuses to give away any secrets--paranoia and security have become almost as famous as the America’s Cup itself.

He will say only that he the boat will be longer and have some sort of keel or rudder appendage.

Security was one of the reasons Conner picked Hawaii as his training base, a choice criticized by some experts who argue that you must train in the waters where you will eventually race.

Conner says the sailing conditions off Hawaii are very similar to the Indian Ocean course--heavier seas and air than in the Atlantic off Newport.

Unlike the other syndicates, Conner does not plan to sail in the world 12-meter championships off Fremantle next February, though he will go to Australia to observe the fleet racing. His team will arrive there next August.

In the interim, Conner will train and test and make grueling flights to the mainland to raise money.

The wealthy interior design businessman expects that television coverage and the nationalism involved this time will bring World Cup-style interest to the sport. He is pitching Sail America as the people’s challenge.

“We’ve already got $10 and $50 contributions from Americans and we expect more as the racing nears. They will see it in true sporting terms, not as a rich man’s game.” he says.