SYNDICATES AT A GLANCE : A PROGRESS REPORT : DEFENDERS : Team Dennis Conner

Yacht club: San Diego

* Syndicate head: Dennis Conner

* Skipper: Dennis Conner

* Budget: $20 million

* Boats: One. Hope to build second by next spring if funding sufficient.

* Designers: Bruce Nelson, David Pedrick, Alberto Calderon, Chris Todter (coordinator).

* IACC Worlds: Placed third, but withdrew from semifinals.

* Comment: Camp seems confident and relaxed with its one fast boat. Avoiding burnout with sailing schedule of 10 days on and 10 days off, allowing Conner to go fund-raising.

America-3

* Yacht club: San Diego

* Syndicate head: Bill Koch

* Skipper-helmsmen: Bill Koch, Buddy Melges.

* Budget: $30 million

* Boats: Sold “training” boat back to French. Some question about second boat built at Hercules Aerospace that was disappointment in Worlds. Another new boat due this month.

* Designers: Doug Peterson, Jim Reichel, Jim Pugh, Heiner Meldner.

* IACC Worlds: Placed sixth and eighth (two boats).

* Comment: Afterguard in flux with departures of John Kostecki and Gary Jobson as Koch seems bent on steering the boat himself. Also, recent surgery on co-helmsman Melges will keep him sidelined for a few weeks. Racing series with French next Wednesday through Saturday could be revealing.

CHALLENGERS

Spirit of Australia

* Yacht club: Darling Harbour

* Syndicate head: Iain Murray

* Skipper: Peter Gilmour

* Boats: One under construction.

* Designer: Iain Murray

* Budget: Unknown.

* IACC Worlds: Did not compete.

* Comment: Murray was a keenly interested spectator at the Worlds, eyeballing and photographing everything. Money is tight but apparently adequate. The crew is proven but will have to make its one-boat shot count.

Australian Challenge

* Yacht club: Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron

* Syndicate head: Syd Fischer

* Skipper: Colin Beashal.

* Boat: One under construction.

* Designer: Peter van Oossanen

* Budget: $10 million.

* IACC Worlds: Did not compete.

* Comment: Hugh Treharne of Australia II (‘83) fame has joined the team as navigator-tactician. Fischer hopes to be sailing in Australia in August and to be in San Diego in November.

Ass’n Pour L’America’s Cup en France

* Yacht club: Yacht Club de France-Sete

* Syndicate head: Francois Giraudet (general manager)

* Skipper: Marc Pajot.

* Boat: Have two after buying original back from America-3.

* Designer: Phillippe Briand.

* Budget: $16 million.

* IACC Worlds: Seventh.

* Comment: New boat arrived late and was off the pace in Worlds but should be fine-tuned for series with America-3 next Wednesday through Saturday.

Il Moro di Venezia (Italy)

* Yacht club: Compagnia Della Vela

* Syndicate head: Raul Gardini

* Skipper: Paul Cayard

* Boats: Have four; fifth probable.

* Designer: German Frers

* Budget: $40 million-plus.

* IACC Worlds: Placed second and fourth in fleet racing, first and third in sailoffs.

* Comment: Spokesman says team “very happy” with fourth boat, which arrived after Worlds. Cayard has been keeping his hand in international competition while crew working six days a week, with vacation due July 15-Aug. 20 when boats will be idle.

Nippon Challenge (Japan)

* Yacht club: Nippon Ocean Racing

* Syndicate head: Tatsumitsu Yamasaki

* Skipper: Chris Dickson.

* Boats: Two sailing, third under construction. A fourth possible.

* Designer: NCAC Design Team

* Budget: $46 million

* IACC Worlds: Placed fifth in fleet racing, fourth in semifinals after Conner withdrew.

* Comment: Nippon, rumored to be shaken by fallen mast and subsequent poor performances in Worlds, has been sailing two boats regularly but keeping to itself. Indications are that after shuffling in syndicate leadership, Dickson is in a stronger position than before. Now the only Japanese entry after Bengal Bay folded.

Mercury Bay Club (New Zealand)

* Yacht Club: Mercury Bay

* Syndicate head: Sir Michael Fay

* Skippers: David Barnes, Rod Davis, Russell Coutts.

* Boats: Three built and delivered. Fourth may be built.

* Designer: Bruce Farr

* Budget: Undisclosed.

* IACC Worlds: First in fleet racing, second in sailoffs.

* Comment: Sailing two boats regularly, including the Cookson-built boat that was held back from the Worlds. Hiring of Whitbread winner Peter Blake as manager after the Worlds a major plus.

Red Star (Soviet Union)

* Yacht club: Ocean Racing Club of Leningrad.

* Syndicate head: Valentin Stepanov

* Skippers: Guram Biganishvili, Sergei Borodinov.

* Boats: First (aluminum) built and should be sailing soon at Tallin on Baltic Sea. Second *carbon-fiber boat under construction.

* Designer: Oleg Larionov.

* Budget: $10 million.

* IACC Worlds: Did not compete.

* Comment: The Soviets are beset by political problems at home and in San Diego, where the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard still haven’t approved their entry into either San Diego or Mission Bays. Have asked Sen. John Seymour, R-Calif., for support, and President Bush and Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin have been briefed.

Desafio Espana Copa America

* Yacht club: Monte Real Club de Yates de Bayona

* Syndicate head: Pedro Campos Calvo-Sotelo

* Skippers: Pedro Campos, Antonio Gorostegui Ceballos.

* Boats: One sailing in Europe. Second under construction, due in September.

* Designer: Diego Colon de Carbajal (technical director).

* Budget: $30 million.

* IACC Worlds: Placed last in boat borrowed from New Zealand.

* Comment: Skipper Campos was last in last week’s Liberty Cup match-racing series in New York Harbor. Crew will take up residence in San Diego in September. Contrary to rumors, King Juan Carlos won’t be with them--physically or financially.

New Sweden

* Yacht club: Stenungsbaden

* Syndicate head: Tomas Wallin

* Skipper: Gunnar Krantz.

* Boat: Status uncertain.

* Designer: New Sweden Design Team.

* Budget: Undeterminined.

* IACC Worlds: Did not compete.

* Comment: Recent skipper change. Reported to be testing boat models. Still indicating they’re interested in competing in ’92.

YACOMA d.d. (Croatia)

* Yacht club: None (formerly Galeb)

* Syndicate head: Bojan Butolen

* Skipper: Undetermined.

* Boat: One built of wood.

* Designer: Stanislav Kovacevic Nano

* Budget: Unknown.

* IACC Worlds: Did not compete.

* Comment: The boat and syndicate are in Slovenia, site of a civil war; the yacht club and Croatia have withdrawn support; and the syndicate’s money is frozen in Yugoslavian banks. This team needs a new yacht club and a miracle to get to San Diego.