Conner Advances to Final Despite Troublesome Win

Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes survived a false start and a shredded headsail to defeat New Zealand’s KZ7 in today’s America’s Cup challenge finals race and win the best-of-seven series, 4-1.

The San Diego boat will meet the Australian defender starting Jan. 31. The defender appears it will be Kookaburra III, which took a 4-0 lead in their best-of-nine series with a 1:13 win over Australia IV.

Conner held a commanding lead of 42 seconds after the first upwind leg. The Kiwis cut it to 23 downwind, and then closed the gap to 14 after Stars & Stripes’ headsail suddenly blew out three-fourths of the way up to the windward mark, then to eight seconds at the reach mark.

As always, Conner’s big, blue, boomerang-shaped 12-meter was thriving in the strong winds measured at 26 knots, but as the boat came off a steep crest and slammed down hard into a trough, the shock caused the hard-trimmed genoa to split three feet behind the headstay and then separate its full length.

New Zealand managed its only win in the series after Stars & Stripes suffered another sail mishap in the third race when a halyard shackle opened and the spinnaker fell all the way down.

This time Conner’s crew managed to recover with a 14-second lead at the mark. They chopped away the destroyed, $15,000 sail to float away and rehoisted another in about three minutes as the Kiwis closed the gap.

Then it was New Zealand’s turn for big trouble. Skipper Chris Dickson, going faster downwind than Conner, had steered his fiberglass boat almost abreast of his rival on the second reach when he tried to switch from a gennaker to a spinnaker.

First the gennaker slipped overboard and became tangled in the rudder, then the new spinnaker followed. By that time, the Kiwis were just trying to retrieve both sails so they could round the second leeward mark.

Conner, his act well back together, led by 16 seconds.

New Zealand spent Sunday’s lay day repairing various broken parts on its fiberglass KZ7 after Saturday’s lopsided race.

Conner said this morning: “We know they’ve changed their mast. That could speed ‘em up--or slow ‘em down.”

Stars & Stripes’ strategy, as usual, was to start from the left end of the line away from the Kiwis and use its superior speed to outrace them to the first windward mark.

But, sloshing around in steep seas and 26 knots of wind, Dickson foiled that plan on the first aborted start when he slipped under Conner’s bow, with leeward rights, and Conner had to tack away to the right. Thirty seconds before the gun, Conner tried to jibe back to the left but was so late that Dickson had a three-length lead.

However, Conner got a break. The buoy at the left end of the line had dragged its mooring downwind, and the committee posted a general recall a few seconds later.

The restart was 45 minutes later (10 p.m. PST).

Again, Dickson kept his boat between Stars & Stripes and the left end of the line, but this time Conner also powered off on starboard with the Kiwis, and when they crossed after Dickson tacked five minutes later, Dickson had to dip below his stern.

Conner immediately came over with a slam-dunk tack, and tactician Tom Whidden said: “We’re rolling now.”

The Australian defenders, meanwhile, had no trouble getting under way, with minimal jousting and no protests before the start.

Warren Jones, executive director of Alan Bond’s syndicate, said he didn’t necessarily agree with speculation that their Australia IV, trailing Kookaburra III 4-0 in the best-of-nine series, had been slowed by recent modifications.

“I don’t think the boat’s slower at all,” Jones said. “We’ve got to give credit where credit is due. I think they’re quicker (than they were).”

Kookaburra III had a three-second edge as they went off opposite ends, but they were virtually even when they met bow to bow on opposite tacks a few minutes later.

AIV skipper Colin Beashel, on port tack, had to yield rights and was a second or two late tacking under KIII’s bow. KIII skipper Iain Murray luffed up more a moment to avoid a collision and immediately unfurled his red protest flag.

KIII rounded the first mark 13 seconds in front but, surfing on the edge of control, AIV cut it to six seconds in a wild downwind ride.

Earlier this morning the spectator boat Albatross, loaded with New Zealand rooters, parked in front of the Stars & Stripes dock for several minutes, chanting Maori curses, singing songs and making sheep noises.

The mood on the Americans’ dock, despite a display of red, white and blue balloons, was strangely subdued and businesslike, with an air of resolve to finish off the series today rather than let the Kiwis back up.

Stars & Stripes’ tender Betsy gave Australia IV a salute with its whistle as Alan Bond’s troubled boat left its slip 15 yards away with its new trial boat, Steak’n Kidney.

Then, at 10:30 sharp, Betsy gave another blast, fired up its engines and turned on the usual “Danger Zone” track from the movie “Top Gun” as Conner, looking grim, made his stately walk from the offices across the compound to the boat.

Conner carried his usual can of diet soda, hoping to stave off the dehydration problem that had bothered him in Saturday’s race.