Conner Brings America’s Cup Back to U.S.A.

Stars & Stripes made it a four-race sweep over Australia’s Kookaburra III today with a 1-minute, 59-second win to bring the America’s Cup back to the United States after an absence of a little more than three years and four months.

San Diego’s Dennis Conner, the first U.S. skipper to lose the 136-year-old trophy, fulfilled his dream that he be the one to return it when he sailed the San Diego Yacht Club’s 12-meter to victory.

Australia had won the cup on Sept. 26, 1983, in Newport, R.I., Australia II beating Conner four races to three. The Alan Bond syndicate, which won the cup, was defeated in the defender finals and Iain Murray skippered the Kookaburra against Stars & Stripes.

Maneuvering to the left side of the course at the start, Conner was the first across the starting line for the first time in the series. Stars & Stripes had a 5-second advantage at the start and stretched it to 26 seconds by the first mark.

However, the second mark--after the first downwind stretch--is considered a more true indicator of how a race may go. At that mark, Murray and Kookaburra had shaved 4 seconds off Conner’s advantage.

En route to the win, Stars and Stripes led at every mark through the four-race series. After leading by 22 seconds at the second mark today, Stars & Stripes led by 0:42, 0:48, 0:47, 1:11 and 1:16 going into the final leg.

Details in Sports.

Related story in Part II, Page 1.