AMERICA’S CUP DAILY REPORT : CHALLENGER TRIALS : It’s French Boat’s Turn for Trouble

For the third time in the last three days of challenger races, the fates were at work to rob the lead boat of victory in the featured race.

First it was New Zealand’s poor sailing at the windward mark against Il Moro di Venezia on Sunday, then Il Moro’s navigational nightmare against Nippon Challenge on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Ville de Paris’ boat was leading Nippon by 1:14 when the French dropped their huge white gennaker into the water, then sailed over the top of it while rounding the first reaching mark. The sail, trailing behind the boat, effectively became an anchor. By the time the crew cut the sail loose for a chase boat to pick up, Nippon’s New Zealand-born skipper, Chris Dickson, had left Ville de Paris’ Marc Pajot in his wake.

No one would be surprised if those things were happening to some of the less experienced teams, but New Zealand (3-1), Il Moro (3-1) and Ville de Paris (2-2) have some of the best sailors in the world.

Having benefited from their rivals’ catastrophes on two consecutive days, the novice entry from Japan (4-0) is the only unbeaten team in the first round.

The victory was worth only one point to Nippon--victories will count four points in the second round and eight in the third.

Today Nippon is scheduled to race New Zealand--Dickson’s first race against the Kiwis since he defected to Japan after the ’87 Cup.

Also today, Spirit of Australia (2-2) will race Espana ’92 (2-2), while Ville de Paris and Il Moro will meet Sweden’s Tre Kronor (0-4) and Challenge Australia (0-4), respectively.

In other races Wednesday, New Zealand beat Tre Kronor by 9:38; Spirit of Australia defeated Challenge Australia by 2:18, and Il Moro di Venezia beat Espana ’92 by 9:46.