U.S., New Zealand Square Off Again in Match Races

Sailors from the United States and New Zealand will return their America’s Cup rivalry to the water today when they start a three-day series of match races on San Diego Bay.

Peter Isler, who heads a prospective defense syndicate, will sail against David Barnes, who was skipper of the big New Zealand monohull that lost two lopsided races to Dennis Conner’s catamaran in the controversial defense in September 1988.

The U.S. victory was recently ruled legal, so San Diego has gone ahead with plans to stage a defense of the Cup in 1992.

Isler and Barnes will sail 68-foot, ultralight maxi sleds similar to the new America’s Cup class boats to be used in ’92.

“They are very light displacement boats and they accelerate quickly,” Barnes said. “They’re very fast. They don’t need a lot of breeze to keep going. In that respect, they’re quite similar to the America’s Cup class, but the new class is much more of a thoroughbred.”

Each boat will have a crew of 11, about seven short of the normal complement for a sled. Three races scheduled today will count one point each, three races Saturday two points each and two races Sunday three points each. The crews will switch boats so that each will race four times in each boat.

Racing is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. each day, winds permitting.