SAILING / RICH ROBERTS : Focusing on Race for the Cup

All you need to know about the America’s Cup before the sailing starts off San Diego:

--The lineup is as solid as pea soup, but at the moment there are two defense syndicates and 10 challenge syndicates from nine countries. But don’t count on the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia/Croatia or Sweden until they get here.

The others are New Zealand, Italy, France, Japan, Australia (two) and Spain. In about that order.

--All will be sailing 75-foot boats of the new International America’s Cup Class. No 12-meters, no catamarans, probably no courtrooms.

--Competition will be all match racing, one on one, on ocean courses.

--Team Dennis Conner and Bill Koch’s America-3 will start 3 1/2 months of skirmishing Jan. 14 to select the defender. Koch will outnumber Conner, two boats to one. That almost makes it even.

--What’s left of the challengers will start their trials Jan. 25. Five of the syndicates have more than one boat, but they must pick only one to sail from start to finish.

--The defense and challenge survivors will meet in a best-of-seven series for the Cup starting May 9. The former won’t necessarily be Dennis Conner--but don’t bet against it.

--Some of the top sailors in the world are competing, but not necessarily for their own countries. New Zealand’s Chris Dickson, the world’s top-ranked match racer, is with Nippon Challenge; America’s Paul Cayard is with Italy’s Il Moro di Venezia, and dual citizen Rod Davis has returned to San Diego, hoping to become skipper of the New Zealand boat.

Some of the top sailors in the world are not competing. Most of them are Americans. Koch is paying his own way. Conner is the only American who found enough sponsorship money to do it, and he’s on a one-boat shoestring.

--Curiously, since August’s failed coup, there are two Soviet syndicates, one based in Russia and the other in Estonia, but both are claiming to represent the Ocean Racing Club of St. Petersburg, formerly Leningrad. That may be two more than will show up.

One syndicate, the Age of Russia, has a boat. It appears doubtful that the other, Red Star ‘92, will have a boat. The America’s Cup Organizing Committee felt compelled to accept only one Soviet entry. In its infinite wisdom, it picked the one without a boat.

The ACOC suggested that the two Soviet teams merge. Otherwise, it seems both will die. Good old Yankee business logic. The team with the boat said, “This is not America.”

--Yugoslavia, lacking carbon-fiber technology, built a wooden boat. Then a civil war started, and its builders said it represented Croatia, which may soon cease to exist. If the boat gets to San Diego, it won’t be competitive, but it will certainly be a symbol of survival.

The boat has been moved safely to Italy, with the help of Venetian boat builder Marco Cantoni, who said he will pay its way to San Diego. Cynics suspect that Cantoni, a well-known jet-setter, has found a way to crash the America’s Cup on the cheap.

--Syndicate compounds are scattered throughout San Diego Bay and Mission Bay but are off-limits to the public. However, supporters are encouraged to donate money and buy souvenirs.

The boats can be seen sailing in and out of the bays past Point Loma almost every day, but those chase boats and helicopters aren’t fan clubs. They are spies from rival syndicates.

--Mast tally: Bill Koch predicted early this year that the new boats are so fragile that 10 masts would fall down. So far, four have done so. The latest was his.

Sailing Notes

MATCH RACING--The world match-racing rankings tightened when Australia’s Peter Gilmour won the Nippon Cup to close on leader Chris Dickson, who was fourth. Also, Rod Davis moved up to third ahead of Russell Coutts, although neither competed in that event. Eddie Warden-Owen remains fifth, La Jolla’s Peter Isler sixth. . . . In the America’s Cup, Gilmour is sailing for Iain Murray’s Spirit of Australia. Davis and Coutts are rivals to become the skipper for New Zealand; Warden-Owen is their coach. Isler is an ESPN commentator.

OLYMPIC GAMES--The dates for U.S. trials next year, as rescheduled: Tornado, April 3-14, at Marina del Rey; 470 men and women, April 4-15, at Newport Harbor Yacht Club; men’s Finn and women’s Europe dinghy, April 4-15, at Balboa Yacht Club; men’s and women’s sailboard, April 24-May 2, at Ft. Pierce, Fla.; Soling, April 26-May 8, at Punta Gorda, Fla.; Star, April 27-May 8, at Miami; Flying Dutchman, June 13-24, at Marblehead, Mass. . . . The International Yacht Racing Union said it is confident that the pollution problem--including raw sewage--off Barcelona, Spain, will be resolved before the Games start on July 25. . . . Tom Ehman, executive vice president/general manager of the America’s Cup Organizing Committee, is the only American appointed to the 21-person race jury at Barcelona.