Potential Defenders Meet to Make Plans : America’s Cup: Organizing Committee wants to identify the four strongest syndicates as quickly as possible in order to begin raising money to help them rise to the foreign challenge.

Representatives from potential racing syndicates began two days of meetings at the San Diego Yacht Club Wednesday to discuss plans for the U.S. defense of the America’s Cup.

The meetings are a chance for the syndicates to learn more about the America’s Cup Organizing Committee’s plans for the event and to gauge the seriousness of potential defenders.

Gene Trepte, chairman of the America’s Cup defense committee, said his group hopes four strong defender boats will emerge to challenge for the right to defend the Cup in San Diego in May, 1992. Trepte said he would like them to be identified as quickly as possible so that they might seek individual corporate funding with the defense committee’s backing.

“We must get an idea of who the players are and which players are organized,” Trepte said.

Individual meetings with the potential defense syndicates were held Wednesday after a general morning session to discuss policy. A group session with ACOC officials is set for this morning.

Among those attending the meetings are representatives of eight identified syndicates: Advance America, Old Bridge, N.J.; Betsy Ross, San Diego; Christina Group, Boston; Team Dennis Conner, run by the three-time Cup winner from San Diego; Isler Sailing International, headed by former Conner navigator Peter Isler of San Diego; Larry Klein’s Triumph America Foundation, San Diego; the U.S. Women’s Defense Syndicate, San Jose, and Yankee Syndicate, Cleveland. Pride of America Defense of Los Angeles was not in attendance, but a man who said he represented the interests of an unnamed potential 10th defender was.

The defense meetings are following two days of talks last week among ACOC officials and representatives of 18 of 21 potential challenger syndicates.