A Sea of Celebrations Awaiting Conner, Crew Upon Return to U.S.

Dennis Conner and the Stars & Stripes crew will fly home with the America’s Cup Saturday, and they’re finding it hard to fathom what’s in store for them.

Not only have sailors seldom been celebrities in America, but it also has been 136 years since anyone brought the cup to the United States, and that was by boat.

Their schedule:

--Saturday noon: Their charter will land in San Diego--gaining a day from down under--for a half-day celebration.

--Saturday night: Back on the plane for a flight to Washington, D.C.

--Sunday morning: Arrive in Washington and go to the White House for a private meeting with President Reagan Sunday afternoon.

--Monday noon: Media ceremony at the White House.

--Monday evening, cocktail hour: Reception on Capitol Hill with members of Congress and chief executive officers of corporate sponsors.

--Monday night: Fly to New York City.

--Tuesday morning: Ticker tape parade. It’s uncertain whether the parade route will pass the New York Yacht Club.

“I guess it’s gonna be wild,” tactician Tom Whidden said. “I’m very excited about it.”

What can they make out of it? Dennis Conner is represented by Mark McCormack’s agency. ABC focused on Whidden, shadowing him with its cameras the day the cup was clinched for a special to be aired Sunday at 5 p.m. PDT.

“They followed me around for a day to see what I did,” he said. “Then they asked me my thoughts. It makes you think.

“All the anxiety of getting it over with is over, and now I wish it wasn’t over.”

Five months in Fremantle certainly have changed Whidden’s life. He arrived in Fremantle as the president of Sobstad Sailmakers. He’ll leave as president of North Sails.

“The biggest thing in it for me is if the sport gains from all this,” he said. “I’d be thrilled to death if this meant that more people are going to be sailing. I’m in it for the long pull.”

Whidden’s exposure during the competition was almost as great as Conner’s. Whidden often took over the helm downwind while Conner swigged a diet soda, and the skipper always brought his tactician along to the press conferences and often deferred questions to him.

“We’re good friends,” Whidden said. “I think it’s Dennis’ way of showing he’s appreciative of what I’ve done for the program.”

Whidden is also an accomplished skipper, with five Southern Ocean Racing Conference class championships among his successes. He would consider steering a 12-meter himself, but apparently not as long as Conner wants him on his boat.

Conner has been on three victorious America’s Cup boats. He served as tactician for Ted Hood on Courageous in 1974 and as skipper on Freedom in ’80 and Stars & Stripes in ’87. Whidden has shared the last three campaigns with him, including the loss in ’83.

“I like sailing with Dennis,” Whidden said. “If he wasn’t the skipper, I’d want to be the guy, but he’s an old warhorse.

“Up the last beat in the last race he was saying, ‘I wonder how many guys have won this four times.’ ”

Conner and most of the crew are due in Florida Feb. 20 to sail Il Moro di Venzcia in the SORC series.

Navigator Peter Isler and Kookaburra’s Iain Murray will skipper Catalina 38s in the Congressional Cup match-racing series at Long Beach March 11-14.

Murray said he also hopes to ski while he’s in California.

Other Congressional contestants include New Zealand’s Chris Dickson, America II tactician Dave Dellenbaugh, two-time Congressional winner Dave Perry and Olympic Soling champion Robbie Haines.

Britain’s Harold Cudmore, who last year became the first foreign skipper to win, will not compete. He’ll be on a trek through the Himalayas with his girlfriend.

Isler was tactician for Perry in his victories in 1983 and ’84 and last year won the Royal Lymington Cup in Britain and the Citizen series in New Zealand on his own.

One of the boats--probably the victorious Stars & Stripes ‘87--will be shipped to Sardinia for the world 12-meter championships this summer. The other will go home to San Diego.

The designers say they can convert the boat for the lighter weather of the Mediterranean.

There is a movement in Long Beach to bid for the 1990-91 defense. Councilwoman Jan Hall has introduced a resolution to support a bid by the private sector.

The San Diego Yacht Club, now the custodian of the cup, and Stars & Stripes, will organize a committee to select a site and date.

John Taylor, chairman of the executive committee of the Queensgate America’s Cup 1990 Project, sent a telegram to Stars & Stripes Wednesday “to let it be known that Long Beach would like to be involved in the site selection process.”

Taylor said: “Hawaii also has a strong effort going, but if this turns into a donnybrook, Long Beach is a logical compromise.”

Taylor and his committee have no official connection with the city of Long Beach.