America’s Cup Update : It’s a Bad Day for Bond’s Interests

It was a black day for the Black Swan Monday when Kookaburra III beat Australia III on the water and Australia IV in the protest room.

The results drove Alan Bond’s lead boat down to third place in the America’s Cup defender trials behind the rival Kookaburras III and II. Australia III has been a distant fourth all along.

Bond is the multimillionaire West Australian industrialist whose holdings include Black Swan Lager and vast real estate developments. Monday’s setbacks were significant in what for Australians seems as much a battle of sponsoring breweries as it is of boats.

Bond’s dream has long been to win the America’s Cup and defend it off Fremantle. He claimed the cup on his fourth try at Newport, R.I., in 1983, but it may become bitter irony that he won’t reach the defenders’ finals in his home port in ’87.

Kookaburra III easily defeated Australia III by 2 minutes 7 seconds in 19- to 24-knot winds. Meanwhile, on shore, an international jury blamed Australia IV for Sunday’s collision with Kookaburra III, ruling that Aussie IV helmsman Colin Beashel misjudged a close tack and clipped Kookaburra III’s backstay with his bow, causing the loss of and damage to Kookaburra III’s electronics gear.

Aussie IV finished two seconds ahead, but Kookaburra III skipper Iain Murray said: “The race was finished as soon as the collision occurred.”

The ruling boosted Kookaburra III’s points to 25 with 17 wins and 1 loss and dropped Australia IV (13-5) to 18 points, one behind the senior Kookaburra II with 19.

Bond’s only consolation was a routine 3:20 victory by Australia IV over Steak ‘n Kidney (0-18). Kookaburra II (13-5) left South Australia (4-14) behind by 4:10.

America’s Cup Notes Even before Monday’s developments, the U.S.-based America’s Cup Report had the Kookaburras posted as 2-1 favorites to defend the cup, with Alan Bond’s Australias IV and III at 6-1. . . . ESPN will have a special one-hour update Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. . . . The jury Monday disqualified both boats involved in Saturday’s collision between South Australia and Steak ‘n Kidney when the bow of the latter 12-meter rammed through South Australia’s hull near the stern.