AMERICA’S CUP / DAILY REPORT : DEFENDER TRIALS : Conner Behind Defiant Again

“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight,” means a fair tomorrow for mariners--but not necessarily for Dennis Conner.

His Stars & Stripes was so far behind America 3’s Buddy Melges, with Defiant, in Saturday’s agonizingly slow America’s Cup defender trials race, that photographers were angling for position to frame Conner’s boat with the sun descending behind it.

The caption: “Sun Sets on Conner.”

With 3 1/2 months of defender trials remaining, it’s a trifle early to write Conner off. But Melges’ margin of 3 minutes 46 seconds--after leading by 6:22 late in the race--was such that there has to be concern whether Stars & Stripes can catch up.

“If I were Dennis,” a high-ranking member of the America 3camp said Saturday night, requesting anonymity, “I would have some serious concerns right now.”

Conner’s only boat has lost both of its races against Defiant, which is the faster of America 3’s current two boats, with two supposedly faster ones on the way.

Saturday, as starting helmsman Dave Dellenbaugh took Defiant to better wind on the right side of the course, out to sea, Conner went left toward Mexico.

Then Conner tried to get Stars & Stripes to the right, but Melges had firm control with his starboard-tack right of way and drove Conner away until Defiant’s lead was insurmountable.

The start of Saturday’s race was delayed 1 hour 40 minutes until 4-5 knots of wind arrived from the south. The boats drifted home nearly four hours later in darkness.

By that time Stars & Stripes’ situation was so desperate that Conner raised a protest flag. He wasn’t sure Defiant had running lights for night sailing.

Umpire Cy Gillette told Conner Defiant had have lights, so the protest was dropped.