Stars & Stripes Wins America’s Cup in 4 Races

The United States regained yachting’s most prized trophy Wednesday when Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes, representing the San Diego Yacht Club, defeated Iain Murray’s Kookaburra III off Fremantle, Australia, to win the America’s Cup.

The victory, which gave Conner a 4-0 sweep of the best-of-seven final series, was particularly sweet for the 44-year-old San Diegan who in 1983 became the first American to lose the cup that the United States had held for 132 years.

Closest of Four Races

Although Wednesday’s race was the closest of the four, the outcome was almost never in doubt. Stars & Stripes took a five-second lead at the start, built it to 49 seconds by the halfway mark and won by 1 minute 59 seconds going after the final leg of the eight-leg race.

Stars & Stripes, a gunmetal blue 12-meter, has been fast, and its crew work has been almost flawless, throughout both the challenger series and the finals.

Stars & Stripes’ previous victory margins over Kookaburra III were by 1 minute 41 seconds, 1:10 and 1:46. The American boat led after every mark in all four races.

Generally regarded as the world’s best 12-meter yachtsman, Conner, skippering Liberty, lost the America’s Cup to John Bertrand’s Australia II off Newport, R.I., on Sept. 26, 1983.

But on Wednesday Conner avenged that defeat, sailing back into Fremantle under cloudless skies and amid the cheers of a huge spectator fleet.

Details in Sports.