AMERICA’S CUP UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : New Koch Boat Expected to Sail Saturday

America 3 hopes to have its third boat sailing by Saturday.

The crews from Defiant and Jayhawk, including the afterguard, probably will be shuffled for the second round of Defender Selection Series starting Feb. 8.

Revised crews won’t be announced until Friday, but the betting is that Bill Koch will jump from the winless Jayhawk to the new boat, leaving Buddy Melges on Defiant.

Today’s matches: France (1-1) vs. Spain (2-0), Spirit of Australia (0-2) vs. Sweden (0-2), Nippon (2-0) vs. Il Moro di Venezia (2-0), New Zealand (1-1) vs. Challenge Australia (0-2).

You might see one of the America 3 crews holding up a “Hello Kermit” sign for television in the next round.

He is Kermit Sleggs, a 39-year-old salt miner from Canaseraga, N.Y., who won a drawing to be the 17th crewman on the boat for a day of practice last month. Koch paid for Sleggs and his wife to fly to San Diego.

Sleggs, who sails a Catalina 22 on Lake Canandaigua, became a popular part of the crew in his brief tour of the Cup.

Members of the crews of seven boats will mingle with the public on Saturday and Sunday “Team Days” at the America’s Cup Museum. The schedule:

Feb. 8--Spain.

Feb. 22--America 3.

Feb. 29--Challenge Australia.

March 7--New Zealand.

March 21--Team Dennis Conner.

March 22--Nippon.

March 28--France.