America’s Cup Trials : Kookaburra III Wins Collision Protest

Kevin Parry is the big-bucks bloke behind the Kookaburras and a lot like his rival, Alan Bond: self-made and somewhat self-righteous.

They live in mansions a few hundred yards apart along the Swan River, opposite the skyline of Perth, where they can compare their empires at close range.

Now these tycoons have brought their beer- and business-bashing down to a sporting level that all West Australians understand.

“Protests are a part of racing,” Parry said at a press conference involving the America’s Cup defenders Wednesday night. “Let’s stick to the rules.”

That struck a nerve with Warren Jones, who runs Bond’s sailing operation.

“Kevin,” Jones responded as he did a slow burn, “with all due respect, I’d guess I know that rule book better than you.”

Parry: “Colin Beashel (Australia IV skipper) has put in more protests than Iain Murray (Kookaburra III skipper).”

Jones: “How about Peter Gilmour (Kookaburra II skipper)?”

Parry, grudgingly: “He’s put in more than Colin Beashel.”

Jones: “Uh-huh.”

Understand, Parry was upset because Australia IV had just beaten his Kookaburra III by 24 seconds in 14 to 23 knots of wind to finish on top of the defender trials, 83 to 77 in points.

Jones was miffed because his chaps stood to lose a victory over the Kookas on a protest for the third time in a week.

And both were anxious about their boats returning to the docks with holes in them.

You thought that Australia IV had qualified for the final when it defeated Kookaburra II the previous day, then successfully defended its use of a radical new “gennaker” headsail against Kookaburra II’s protest?

The Kookas’ rules expert, Brian (“I’m not a lawyer”) Willis, resurrected that apparently dead issue Wednesday when he asked the jury to reopen the case--about the time that Kookaburra III was breaking out a similar new sail against Australia IV.

Well, Australia IV was disqualified from its victory over Kookaburra III following a 6-hour 15-minute hearing this morning.

Australia IV won Wednesday’s race by 24 seconds but both boats registered protests after a mid-race collision that caused damage to each. The jury decided that it was Australia IV’s obligation to keep clear.

The change left Kookaburra III on top of the final point standings with 83 and dropped Australia IV to 77, with Kookaburra II third at 70, so KIII and AIV are still in the defender finals.

However, Kookaburra II also has requested that its dismissed protest against AIV’s use of a new “gennaker” sail in Tuesday’s victory be reopened. If the jury agrees to review the case and rules against AIV again, KII will replace the Alan Bond boat in the finals.

Thursday’s decision marked the third time in a week that an AIV victory over one of the Kookaburras had been reversed. --RICH ROBERTS(endit) If Kookaburra II is successful in reversing Tuesday’s defeat by Australia IV, and Kookaburra III wins one of Wednesday’s two protests arising from a mid-race collision and interference at a mark rounding, that would knock the Bondies down to 71 points and right back out of the finals and put the Kookaburras in with 83 and 76 points, respectively.

Wednesday wasn’t the first time those boats came home seeking estimates from the Fremantle Panel Beaters body shop. The latest incident occurred shortly after they had rounded the leeward mark with Australia IV six seconds in front.

As Murray tacked Kookaburra III away to starboard to find clear air, Beashel started to tack with him and Kookaburra III’s bow struck the starboard side of Australia IV’s stern, leaving a chink about a foot long at the gunwale.

Kookaburra III looked as if it had had its teeth knocked out. A piece of its bow the size of a fielder’s glove at the waterline went to the bottom of the Indian Ocean.