Kilroy Challenges New Zealand to Race His Maxi Boat, Kialoa V

New Zealand’s big boat may race again.

John B. (Jim) Kilroy of Los Angeles issued an informal challenge to race his 80-foot maxi boat, Kialoa V, against the 133-foot KZ-1 in October off Marina del Rey.

The challenge was inspired by calculations from Stars & Stripes tactician Tom Whidden that a maxi boat might have beaten KZ-1 around the race course Friday.

Dennis Conner often serves as helmsman on Kilroy’s boat.

Bruce Farr, who designed the New Zealand boat, said during Friday night’s press conference, “The boat is sailing significantly faster than all the predictions we did. One of the gentlemen on my right suggested a maxi boat could beat this boat around the course.

“I’d like to invite Tom to bring a maxi boat down here anytime, and we’ll have a race.”

Kilroy, who was in San Diego to watch the races, apparently is interested only in an upwind drag race, not a race around a buoy course.

Downwind against the Kiwis, he said, “they’d kill us.”

Upwind, he said, Kialoa V would have reached the windward mark Friday in 1 hour 52 minutes, compared to New Zealand’s 1:57:22, which was 10 minutes behind the Stars & Stripes catamaran.