Rougher Condiitions Expected for Round Two of America’s Cup Trials

America’s Cup challengers have completed their heavy weather modifications for today’s start of the second round-robin trials, all convinced the brutal wallop expected from the wind is just what’s needed to win.

The wind, known as the “Doctor” is a cooling breeze that usually stirs in the afternoons of Australian summers, packing winds of 20 knots to gale-force gusts. First-round races were contested in calm weather.

After 13 days of swapping masts, changing keels, altering ballast, increasing sail area, replacing rigging and reorganizing crews, the teams in the lower portion of the standings are hopeful of surging to the top and the three sharing the No. 1 spot are eager to dispense with each other.

Entering Round Robin B with 11-1 records and 11 points each are the New York Yacht Club’s America II skippered by John Kolius, the San Diego Yacht Club’s Stars & Stripes skippered by Dennis Conner, and New Zealand with Chris Dickson as skipper.

Britain’s White Crusader and San Francisco’s U.S.A. are tied with 8-4, followed by Canada II and Italia 6-6, French Kiss 5-7, Eagle of Newport Beach 4-8, Heart of America (U.S.) 3-9, Challenge France 2-10 and Azzurra (Italy) 1-11.

With five points riding on a win compared with one point in the first round-robin, the pressure is intense. No one can afford to diminish the importance of each victory in the long process of reducing the ranks to four for the semifinals starting Dec. 28.

“We are putting a lot of emphasis on this series,” says normally relaxed Buddy Melges, skipper of Chicago’s Heart of America campaign. “We’ve got to start getting points now. The footwork is behind us. We have to concentrate on serious business, get our heads out of the boat and begin to race.”

Syndicate designer Scott Graham moved 1,400 pounds of interior ballast to the keel. The adjustment “makes the boat more stable because of the expectations of heavier winds, and improves the motion of the boat in sea lift,” Melges said.

The disappointing 5-7 performance of French Kiss was blamed on the weak to medium air pervading the first races. But skipper Marc Pajot says the arrival of the “Doctor” will restore the French to their rightful prominence.

With the installation of a new mast and the arrival of more sails, Pajot says, “French Kiss is as good as any of the top boats. When the wind was blowing we sailed well, and the wind is getting stronger and stronger.”

Even America II, the NYYC’s $15 million effort to win back the trophy it lost in 1983, is still debating if and when to install a new keel, depending upon the antics of the expected “Doctor” and when he dishes out his most potent medicine.

Kolius, a Darien, Conn., yachtsman, had his troops practicing daily during the break, refusing to let them relax on their first-place laurels.

“Wipe that out of your memory,” Kolius said of the October series. “That was just practice.”

Operating under a weighted point system with the December Round Robin C series carrying 12 points per victory, Kolius said, “You could win every race up to the December trials, then have a couple breakdowns and bad shifts and you’re in a lot of trouble.”

Kolius anticipates closer match racing this time around, predicting there won’t be so much straight line sailing.

“As the points become more important, the covers become closer,” he said.

Kolius figures the best way to stay on top is by placing the same importance on every race.

“We won’t be able to focus on anybody specifically (until the semifinals). If you do, someone else is going to beat you. I’m a believer. I’ve watched enough professional football to know that if Dallas gets psyched up to pound on New York, they’re going to lose to Atlanta beforehand. You have to take each race on its merits and attack that one.”

Dickson, at 24 the youngest of the skippers, isn’t letting the string of New Zealand victories go to his head, either.

“The crew is very much on earth,” Dickson said. “All the boats are good and with a minor mistake you can lose drastically.”

Neither Kolius nor Conner intimidate Great Britain’s sailing ace Harold Cudmore, tied for second with Tom Blackaller’s U.S.A.

With White Crusader sporting a new keel, Cudmore says, “Sweedwise we were very close to America II and Dennis. Against the Kiwis we struggled. We don’t know exactly how we stand against them. What matters is consistency. You can’t afford any breakdowns, any bad sails, any bad maneuvers or any bad starts.”

The pressure factor has escalated along with the points at stake.

“This is a pressure game but we’re in it because we like it,” Cudmore said. “If we didn’t, we’d go gardening.”

Every syndicate is wondering about Blackaller and guessing how big a threat his radical 12-Meter is. After winning eight races in a row, the fiery skipper maintains he has finally come to grips with U.S.A.

“We’ll be much better than we were in October and will make more gains in December,” he said. “If we get her revved up, the Cup is gone from Perth.”

Despite the resignations of four key personnel from the Eagle Syndicate, skipper Rod Davis says the reduction of 1,500 pounds from the boat combined with the addition of sail area should make the Twelve far more competitive.

Among those resigning over “philosophical differences” was general manager Gerry Driscoll, a veteran of four previous America’s Cup campaigns.

The departures of the four have left Davis with a flimsy management and backup team, but the veteran helmsman denies the problems have hurt crew morale.

“Actually we’re excited,” he says. “The changes made to the boat will make a real difference. We have to win seven or eight races out of this series, and I’m convinced we will.”

The Canadians erected a new mast and ousted tactician Andy Roy, contending he did not have enough experience. Skipper Terry Neilson replaced him with Greg Tawaststjerna, the backup helmsman on Canada I.

“We have no more weak points,” Neilson said. “We’re happy with our speed. When things are going well, you don’t change them.”

Emerging from the first series with a 6-6 margin, Neilson notes, “It’s hard to compensate for the experience of skippers like Conner and Kolius. But we’ve learned. The pressure is really on now.”

For Italy’s Azzurra Syndicate, there’s nowhere else to go but up. Even the backing of the Aga Khan has failed to produce a speedy boat.

On the bottom at 1-11, skipper Mauro Pelaschier still has hope.

Finding the newest of the four-boat campaign “very slow and extreme,” Pelaschier decided on alterations for No. 3 instead of switching to the latest model.

“Our problem was one of stability. The boat was too light. So we’ve changed the position of the mast and altered the weight in the keel. I am not the best skipper in the world. I know when I make mistakes. I’m very critical of myself.

“But I haven’t made many mistakes here because we were so slow. We were too far away from the other boats.”