America’s Cup Trials : Conner Asks for Check of New Zealand’s Hull
Has America’s Cup sailing gone from “Keelgate” in 1983 to “Glassgate” in 1986?
Dennis Conner confirmed Thursday that his Sail America syndicate of San Diego had filed a request with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, challenger of record governing the trials, regarding the construction of the New Zealand boat, the only 12-meter here constructed of fiberglass instead of aluminum.
Conner’s Stars & Stripes and New Zealand’s KZ7 are the only two boats still unbeaten in the first week of trials. Both are 5-0. They are scheduled to meet next Wednesday.
Conner refused to discuss the matter further, but it was learned that his syndicate was asking for core samples to be taken of the New Zealand boat.
“We want to make sure they’re conforming with the regulations,” Conner said.
Conner, the skipper who lost the Cup in ‘83, denied that the move would spark a controversy similar to the one surrounding Australia II’s winged keel three years ago, when the New York Yacht Club tried to expel the boat.
“We’re raising the question now to avoid such a controversy,” Conner said.
Earlier Thursday, Conner came from behind to defeat Tom Blackaller, aboard San Francisco’s USA, by six seconds in the closest race of the series. Meanwhile, New Zealand never trailed in handing America II its first loss by 1:05.
Afterward, Blackaller said he, too, would like to have the New Zealand boat checked.
“I support Dennis,” he said. “All we want to know is if the New Zealand boat is legal . . . if the boat is lighter in the ends than in the middle.”
Apparently, rivals suspect that KZ7’s hull is thicker in the middle than on the ends, giving it an unfair advantage in weight distribution.
New Zealand skipper Chris Dickson said: “There’s something different out there, and people are trying to get it out. I am 100% confident about the boat or it wouldn’t be called a 12-meter.”
Bruno Trouble, press officer for the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the Louis Vuitton Cup, sponsors of the challenger series, said the letter had been received and a reply sent.
“We will not disclose the contents of either letter,” he said. “We consider them a private matter.”
America’s Cup Notes Tom Blackaller (1-4) said he hasn’t given up on his radical boat with the rudder in the bow. “We’re still having trouble with the steering system, but I expect for us to end up on the winning side when the series is over,” he said. . . . America II’s John Kolius said a 37-degree wind shift just after the start put America II (3-1) behind New Zealand (5-0), and it never caught up. . . . The winds were again shifty and light, with breezes from four to eight knots and rain squalls at the start, building to between 11 and 13 knots at the finish. The big shifts not only aided Chris Dickson in New Zealand’s victory but helped Canada II (3-2) in its win over French Kiss (3-2) by 1 minute 42 seconds and Italia (2-2) in its 4:03 rout of Heart of America (2-3). . . . Eagle (2-2) was idle Thursday and will race Azzurra (1-4) today.