Groups Join in New Cup Syndicate

A new U.S. team sailed to the defense of the America’s Cup Wednesday when Bill Koch, a millionaire alternative energy pioneer, joined forces with two rival syndicates to compete for yachting’s premier trophy.

Koch, president of the Oxbow company, said he would head the new team that would unite the defunct Cleveland-based Yankee Syndicate of veteran skipper Buddy Melges and the Triumph America group of U.S. yachtsman of the year Larry Klein of San Diego.

Koch, Melges, Klein and Gary Jobson, Ted Turner’s tactician in the 1977 series, will share duties in the new 75-foot America’s Cup class boat that will replace the traditional 12-meters in the 1992 event off San Diego.

Koch is listed as president of the new foundation, with Jobson listed as co-skipper and vice president and Klein and Melges as helmsmen.

Underlining the new syndicate’s scientific approach, Koch said it would be called “America3 (America to the Power of Three).” It also represents the union of the West Coast-based Klein, Melges from the Midwest and Koch from the East.

Koch, whose brand-new Matador2 (Matador Squared) boat last week swept the Maxi Yacht world championships off Newport, R.I., said much of the research for the America’s Cup entry would be carried out at MIT and Stanford.

The technical team will be directed by Vincent Moeyersoms and include ocean engineer Dr. Jerome Milgram and physicist Dr. Heiner Meldner.

Koch estimated that the effort would cost around $20 million, one-third coming from public and corporate sources and the rest from private foundations.

“Our boat is going to be clean,” Koch said, meaning it would carry no advertising.

The boat will probably incorporate a revolutionary keel-rudder combination used in Koch’s new Matador maxi-yacht, but he said the configuration would be kept a secret.

Noting that the same Rhode Island shipyard would be building boats for the new syndicate and for defending champion Dennis Conner, Melges acknowledged: “Security is going to be an important part of this defense.”

At the same time, Melges said he relished the chance of challenging Conner for the right to defend the trophy for the San Diego Yacht Club.

“I’m really looking forward to handing Dennis Conner a little problem on the race course out there,” Melges said.

Team Dennis Conner and Beach Boys USA, which will rely heavily for funding on a concert tour by the California singing group, are the other two syndicates competing for the right to represent the SDYC.

The winner will be decided in a series of round-robin regattas beginning in early 1992.

Jobson said the new syndicate had been assured that the San Diego-based Conner would not be given preferential treatment, and that the contest would be decided purely on the basis of the races.

“Whoever crosses the finish line first wins,” he said.

But Jobson conceded that the foreign challenge would be stronger than ever, pointing out that Japan, Italy and France already had their first America’s Cup class boats in the water.

A record 12 teams from 10 countries have met conditions laid down by the America’s Cup Organizing Committee to challenge for the trophy.