‘84 Team a Tough Act to Follow

Dennis Conner’s America’s Cup victory has prompted tributes to American ingenuity, but this overlooks the fact that five other American syndicates failed at Fremantle, some of them miserably.

For a collective national effort, the 1984 Olympics were a greater achievement for American sailors: seven boats, seven medals--three gold and four silver.

It’s a tough act to follow, but a year and a half away from the 1988 Olympics, U.S. prospects appear even better than they did at the same point in 1983.

John Kostecki of San Francisco and Vince Brun of San Diego are current world champions in the Soling and Star classes, in which Robbie Haines and Bill Buchan won golds in 1984.

Brian Ledbetter of San Diego was runner-up in the 1986 Finn Gold Cup; the new women’s 470 class is strong, and Randy Smythe and Jay Glaser of Huntington Beach, the Tornado catamaran favorites in ‘84, are again campaigning hard toward the gold they lost to New Zealand’s unheralded Rex Sellers.

But Jonathan Harley, Olympic director for the United States Yacht Racing Union, is cautious.

“I’m not going to make any predictions,” Harley said. “I think we’re going to have a real strong team, but everybody else is too. It will be very difficult to duplicate the success of the ’84 group.”

Many of the 1988 Olympic aspirants are competing this weekend in the Olympic Classes Regatta in Long Beach.

It will be more difficult to duplicate that effort at Pusan, which is an ocean away on the southern tip of South Korea, where sailing is virtually an unknown sport.

How hard does the wind blow? From which direction? At what time? Is the sea choppy or smooth? Data is minimal, but those factors are critical for planning strategy and sail design. Harley has had meteorological scouts out taking notes.

There will be almost a whole new U.S. team in 1988. Only Smythe and Glaser are still campaigning in the same class, although Flying Dutchman alternate Gary Knapp has teamed up with Chris Steinfeld, who won a silver medal as Steve Benjamin’s crew on a 470. They are sailing a Tornado, challenging Smythe-Glaser for the U.S. berth.

Jonathan McKee, the 1984 Flying Dutchman winner, has joined the Australian professional 18-foot skiff series, and Smythe and Steele also have been sailing for money in Europe, although they remain amateurs because they never see any of it.

Sailing Notes

A pre-Olympic regatta is scheduled at Pusan Sept. 12-28 . . . The U.S. trials are scheduled for July 5-26, 1988, at three sites simultaneously. Stars and Solings will be at San Diego, the Finns at Marblehead, Mass., and 470s (men and women), Flying Dutchmen, Tornados and sailboards at Newport, R.I.