America’s Cup Trials : The Protest Judges Protest--Take a Break

If the Kookaburras’ plethora of protests against Australia IV is just a war of nerves, it seems to be working.

The judges may be starting to crack.

The defenders’ jury sat down late Friday afternoon to consider re-opening Kookaburra II’s protest against Australia IV’s “gennaker” sail--a combination genoa and spinnaker--that had been dismissed earlier.

Instead of meeting at the Fremantle Port Authority offices, as usual, the panel decided to meet in secret to avoid pressure from the media, which has been keeping late-night vigils outside the jury room.

But 45 minutes later the five weary judges--three Australians, a Canadian and a South African--got up and left. It was announced that they were “seeking further information” and, what’s more, didn’t expect to reconvene until late in the weekend.

Saturday was certainly out, because chairman Bruce Miller’s daughter was getting married.

There also was a report that syndicate chiefs Kevin Parry and Alan Bond were meeting to settle the matter. Bond returned early Saturday from Hong Kong, where he is trying to buy part of a TV station.

With what’s at stake, a little perspective seems to be in order. If Australia IV loses, Kookaburra II will replace it in the best-of-nine defender finals against Kookaburra III, starting Wednesday.

Australia IV would then play its hole card and re-open a protest against Kookaburra II that it tabled after winning the sail dispute.

Then it would be Kookaburra III’s move again, ad infinitum. Kookaburra skipper Iain Murray has mentioned going to the Western Australia Supreme Court, if necessary.

Dr. Stan Reid, the former commodore of the Royal Perth Yacht Club, which is running the defender trials, has shown remarkable restraint, considering that most of the protests have involved technicalities or petty incidents that had no bearing on which boat won a particular race. But even Reid’s patience is wearing thin.

“Certainly, it would appear that the protests at this time have more and more of a legal slant to them than I personally have experienced before,” Reid said. “Legal people should be kept out of sailing and the sailing should be by the sailors themselves.”

The Kookas say that the defenders have filed more protests than the challengers because of closer racing. But another reason may be that, under their separate rules, the defenders can send in lawyers or rules experts to argue their cases, whereas the challengers must be represented by the sailors themselves.

Who wants to sail a three-hour race and then endure a six-hour protest hearing?

“The sailors certainly should be the ones representing themselves at protest meetings,” Reid said. “But this, for some strange reason, doesn’t seem to be happening. Sea lawyers are all the go.”

Murray said Friday: “We want to get (the sail issue) out of the way now so we know the ground rules under which we’re playing the game.

“It’s not a matter of getting rid of Australia IV. It’s not really what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get down to being the best defender Australia can produce.”

By that, Murray was asked, does he mean an all-Kooka final is in Australia’s best interest?

“That is the way we see it,” Murray replied. “I don’t think it’s hurting Australia. I don’t think it’s pulling us farther apart. I don’t think it’s dividing our effort. It’s head-to-head competition already. It’s making us stronger.”

Warren Jones, executive director of Australia IV, said in a joint interview with Murray: “Somehow or other it has got to be resolved. Hopefully, within a reasonably short time, men can see some reason and we stop massaging egos and get the matter sorted out for the better of the America’s Cup, which took a heck of a lot of winning and, if we’re not careful, we will give back to some other country because we didn’t have enough brains to talk.”

Dennis Conner seems to be gaining psychological momentum as his challenge final with New Zealand approaches.

“We’re not overly optimistic or at all cocky,” he said in an ESPN interview. “But I think that Stars & Stripes is going to have an edge going into the final series, and if we do that, don’t be surprised to see that Cup right back home in America where it belongs.”

A few days earlier, Conner had forecast a 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven series starting Tuesday. Jon Wright, his veteran mainsheet trimmer, went even further.

“We’re gonna beat the Kiwis four straight,’ Wright said.

The prediction applies to both New Zealand and the Australian defender, whoever it may be.

“I’ve got only eight races left in me,” Wright said.

Wright, 38, also crewed for Conner aboard the victorious Freedom in 1980.

“The only thing sweeter than winning it the first time would be to win it back,” he said.

New Zealand declined an invitation to have skipper Chris Dickson appear live with Conner on “Good Morning America” via satellite next Monday morning, a day before the start of the challenger final series.

Apparently, the invitation never got as far as Dickson himself. The Kiwi camp explained that Dickson needed his sleep.

The appearance would have started at 8:30 p.m. Monday in Fremantle, which is 7:30 a.m. in New York.

Peter Debreceny, the New Zealand syndicate public relations director, said: “It was a decision I made. I know 8:30 p.m. on a Monday night when you’re going racing Tuesday morning is not a good time.

“We don’t have any objection to Chris appearing on ‘Good Morning, America’ or to Chris appearing with Dennis Conner.”

Debreceny said he has been trying to work out another time.

The gennaker sail affair has all of the other syndicates boats on hold. Conner and the Kiwis are also believed to have gennakers ready.

The giant balloon sails are used most effectively on the two reaching legs of every race when the boats sail neither upwind nor dead downwind but across the wind.

Kent Luxton, New Zealand’s sail loft manager, was asked if the Kiwis had a gennaker.

“My comment on that is zip ,” Luxton said, zipping his lip.

But he said if they didn’t have one, it would take only about 25 hours to make one.

New Zealand has about 120 sails in its inventory.