For Next Race, Conner’s Renting Stars & Stripes

Dennis Conner will sail in the 12-meter world championships in a rented boat: Stars & Stripes ’87.

Contrary to what some may believe, the boat that won the America’s Cup is not his personal property. It belongs to the Sail America Foundation. Of course, Conner and Malin Burnham established the nonprofit foundation that funded the America’s Cup effort, and they are listed as trustees. So, in a sense, Conner is renting the boat from himself.

Conner, on the phone from San Diego Thursday, explained: “Because Sail America’s still in debt, it didn’t make a lot of sense for Sail America to be spending more money (to compete in the world championships) that’s not related to this America’s Cup when they haven’t paid the bills yet.

“I think we’re down to about a million dollars,” Conner said of the $15 million campaign. “We’re getting there. I think we can do it, but we still have some work to do.

“I chartered the boat from Sail America and I’m out raising money to take the boat as Dennis Conner, as opposed to Sail America.”

The charter fee, believed to be in the low six figures, will help to pay Sail America’s debts. Three corporate sponsors--Pepsi, Merrill Lynch and Ford--are contributing toward the charter fee.

Conner had the same three sponsors at Fremantle, although hardly anybody noticed. Up to now, because of sailing’s traditional resistance to commercialization, sponsoring a sailboat has provided as much exposure as advertising space on a submarine.

But that will change for the 12-meter world championships June 25-July 11, in which Conner will be competing. Sailing’s ruling powers have fallen into step with the rest of the sports world and relaxed Rule 26, which severely restricted “advertisements and sponsorships.”

For the first time in a major sailing event, sponsorships may be displayed on sails, hulls and crew apparel. At Fremantle, Conner regularly flew sponsors’ spinnakers when returning to the harbor and kept a collection of caps from sponsors, which he rotated like a race driver at every media opportunity.

Peter Isler, Conner’s navigator, said: “A lot of sponsors are very eager to get involved.”

Isler now works at Dennis Conner Sports, based in San Diego, which handles his skipper’s new projects and operations. Much of Conner’s time since he won the America’s Cup has been spent settling accounts with personal appearances and endorsements.

“We promised I would do some things for some of our sponsors,” Conner said.

The 12-meter world championships will be held at Costa Smeralda, a resort development on the large Italian island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean.

“I felt we should go and keep up with the rest of the world,” Conner said. “We would have been behind if we’d let all the other good guys go and race and we’re not there.”

Several other America’s Cup campaigners will compete, but Stars & Stripes is the only American entry.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Conner said. “Chris Dickson (of New Zealand) now works for the Japanese. Rod Davis (of Eagle) signed a five-year contract with New Zealand.”

Any chance that Conner might defect?

“My blood is red, white and blue,” he said. “I’m stuck.”

As for where the next Cup will be held, Conner’s comments indicate that he feels no intense obligation to defend the Cup in his hometown.

This week he told a news conference that only about 10% of the syndicate’s financial support came from San Diego, “Plus, we never promised that it would be here, as part of our fund-raising.”

As Sail America officers, Conner and Burnham compiled the list of nominees for the selection committee and submitted it to the San Diego Yacht Club, according to the original agreement between the foundation and the club.

“We gave ‘em a list,” Conner said. “We put on there who we wanted, and now they have the right to ratify it or veto it. No rush. It’s an important decision, and they should take whatever time they need to make a rational decision. It’s important for the future of the Cup.”

The brothers Peyron are nearing the end of their single-handed multihull race across the Atlantic.

At Thursday’s midday report, Bruno Peyron, aboard his 75-foot catamaran Ericsson, was 134 miles ahead of Loick, on his 60-foot Lada Poch, and was expected to reach the finish off the Lizard, a point in southwest England, by late Saturday night.

They have until 7:32 p.m. (PDT) Sunday to beat their target time of 12 days, 4 hours, 1 minute, 19 seconds. They selected that time--achieved 82 years ago by U.S. Navy Capt. Charlie Barr with a crew of 40 aboard the schooner Atlantic--as their goal.

Bruno had led since leaving New York until last weekend, when he hit high seas and freezing temperatures, while Loick skirted the fringe winds of a hurricane to the south to take the lead by 32 miles.

By Tuesday they were even, and by Wednesday Bruno was 71 miles ahead again.

The finish could be close. On Thursday, Bruno was tacking into a northeast headwind, while Loick was reaching directly toward their destination, although in lighter winds.

Sailing Notes The plastic-coating “riblets” used by Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes in the America’s Cup have been banned by the International Offshore Racing Council for use in IOR competition. The council’s chief measurer, Ken Weller, said he based his decision on the expense and maintenance involved and the fact that the product is not widely available, a complaint registered by the Kookaburras during the America’s Cup. However, 3M is now marketing them for anybody who wants to try it. . . . The United States Yacht Racing Union’s U.S. Sailing Center opened this month at Miami, Fla. The facility was conceived after the ’84 Olympics to provide a permanent, year-round development site for the Olympic classes. . . . Entries for the 40th Newport-to-Ensenada race starting April 24 have closed with nearly 600 boats, up from 559 last year.