If Nothing Else, It Was an Excuse to Wear Topsiders : Cup Fans, Others Cast Their Boats Upon the Waters

The Rev. Richard Krause recently bought his first sailboat after years of power boating, and he couldn’t be happier.

Krause, of Yerma, a small town near Barstow, sailed his 35-foot Dayspring down from Long Beach this week. But it wasn’t to see the America’s Cup. For him, as for many other yachtsmen interviewed Friday, noise, competition and publicity just aren’t part of the sea’s allure.

“I’m not interested in racing. Just the wife and I go out to Catalina, usually,” the 54-year-old Krause said dockside at the Harbor Island West Marina.

‘Sailing Is Freedom’

Krause said he sails because “there’s no noise. You can forget about everything but the wind and the sails and the day God made. Sailing is freedom.”

It’s not that Krause has anything against the America’s Cup--he and some other sailors were mildly supportive of the Stars & Stripes and the contest in general. But they said they sail to avoid crowds and excitement, not to find them.

Barbara Hicks, a 40-year-old interior designer from Palm Springs, did go out briefly to see the race in her chartered boat. She said she didn’t mind not getting a good view--that wasn’t really the point.

She said most of the pleasure she derived from the America’s Cup was decidedly indirect: “It’s kind of an excuse for sailing people to get together. Sailing people like being with other sailing people,” she said. “I didn’t get to see much of it. I hate to say there’s too much publicity, but it’s supposed to be a sport.”

Hicks said she rents a boat with friends about twice a month. “I love it out here. There are no phones, nobody to bother you. It’s a wonderful escape.”

Subtlety in the Air

At other San Diego marinas Friday, the air of America’s Cup excitement was, well, rather subtle.

“I watched the start on TV,” said yacht carpenter David Thomas, who was working on his 28-footer at the Koehler Kraft boatyard on Shelter Island during his day off.

“You need a racing-type boat. Racing is a rich man’s sport, for the most part,” Thomas, 39, said. “It’s kind of a different world.”

Thomas said his boat sacrifices speed for roominess and comfort.

“I like sailboats for the kind of places they can take you--offshore islands, Mexico. Everyone is into boats for different reasons.”

Krause gave the Cup conditional support. “It’s the Super Bowl for sailors. I think it’s great, but I do believe the race committee should say one way or the other, either monohulls only or anything goes. They should shut the loophole.”

Labeled as Dumb

Even sometime-racer Larry Vernec, 31, a computer marketer who sails weekly from the Southwestern Yacht Club at high speeds, said this particular race was “dumb, from a sailing point of view.”

“There’s nothing to see. It gives racing a bad name. It paints a silly picture. “It’s a race that’s normally very equitable. It’s thrilling because you’re using natural power.”

Vernec said he has no problem with the money lavished on Cup competitors: “We’re an affluent society--it’s the American way.”