America’s Cup : It Appears New Zealand Could Be Walking the Plank

New Zealand skipper David Barnes, at the helm of his first America’s Cup yacht, has a few ideas on how to beat veteran Dennis Conner in a boat that is much bigger and much slower.

The New Zealanders consider next week’s America’s Cup regatta a mismatch because the Stars and Stripes catamaran is a lighter and faster boat than the 133-foot New Zealand craft. Should they lose, and most everyone expects them to, they plan to protest in court immediately after the race.

Still, Barnes is hustling to find some hope for the best-of-three series.

“We appreciate the odds against us, but we can’t go out with that kind of an attitude and just die,” Barnes said.

Yachting experts say the only way Barnes will beat Conner is if the San Diego skipper loses his wing-sail or capsizes.

Conner has said he will try to maintain a comfortable 15- or 20-minute lead, but not as big a lead as possible to avoid straining the delicate catamaran.

“I would never do such a stupid thing,” Conner said. “A smart, conservative, experienced sailor will tax his equipment to the extreme limit only if that is what he needs to get into the lead.”

What the Kiwis envision is a sudden, crippling clamity aboard Stars & Stripes either early in the race, or with Conner allowing New Zealand to stay 10 minutes or so behind.

“If they do that and have any kind of failure, we’ll be there to pounce on them,” Barnes said.

Other possibilities include very light winds preventing Stars & Stripes from lifting one hull out of the water for the burst of speed that characterizes multihulls, and using New Zealand’s immense sails to block Conner’s wind at the start and continue to block it in an upwind tacking duel.

Barnes figures 2-3 knots of wind will slow Stars & Stripes, but the judges will probably scrub the race if the air is that light.

Conner is considered a master at the duel that takes place in the minutes before the starting gun, in which a skipper tries to get ahead of his opponent but not cross the line early.

“He’s a master at disappearing out in the spectator fleet and then leaving the other boats to chase him,” Barnes said. “Maybe he is the best starter in the world and will give us a run for our money.”

If Stars & Stripes is covered by New Zealand at the start, it probably won’t stay covered long for two reasons:

First, flukey winds off Point Loma can shift often in September, turning an upwind beat into a reach (with the wind hitting the boat at a 90-degree angle) that is perfect for a catamaran.

Second, even if the wind cooperates with Barnes, Stars & Stripes has enough speed that Conner would be able to fall off long enough to pick up the wind and scoot into the lead without much difficulty.

“If we are lucky enough to be ahead, we are going to sail conservatively and not break down,” Conner said. “If we are behind, he (Barnes) will see us with the afterburners on. And if the boat blows up, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”

Barnes waiting for a tough cookie like Conner to crumble may be like waiting for Godot. But the show must go on for the Kiwis even though the outcome of the cup may be decided in court.

“For our own peace of mind,” Barnes said, “we still have to race this as best we can.”