Storms Force Postponement of Races : America’s Cup: Defenders’ and challengers’ races pushed back one day.

Strong winds carrying heavy rain forced the America’s Cup challengers to postpone the start of the second round of their Louis Vuitton Cup trials Saturday.

The four match races scheduled Saturday were rescheduled for today, although conditions were not expected to be better, with a forecast for northwest winds of 12 to 16 knots and rough seas.

Saturday’s winds were from the south and southeast up to 25 knots, with gusts to 30.

The defenders, making their own, independent decision, also called off a race scheduled between America 3’s two boats. Instead, they’ll sail a doubleheader on a shortened course next Tuesday.

The defenders considered sailing inside on the smoother waters of San Diego Bay, but the U.S. Coast Guard refused permission because, a source said, there was “no contingency plan” in the agency’s computer for such a switch.

Another, official explanation from the America’s Cup Organizing Committee was that the wind was from the wrong direction.

”. . . The southerly wind direction made it impossible to set a sufficiently long windward leg necessary for good match racing,” a statement said.

The bay runs east and west.

Weather permitting, Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes, faster since being refitted with its old keel, will meet America 3’s new boat today and its older boat, Defiant, on Monday.

It was the second time in four days that the series of storms had blown out racing but the first time the challengers had been affected.

The defenders reported 17 to 25 knots of wind with gusts to 30, with rough seas and poor visibility.

The Challenger of Record Committee’s offshore weather buoy reported 22 knots of wind and 5-foot seas at 9:13 a.m., and since both conditions were expected to build by race time at noon the decision was made to postpone.

Apparently, the weather buoy was functioning again after midweek tampering by persons unknown. When data failed to register, a a boat was sent out to investigate and found the wind vane bound by tape.

“If this was a practical joke, it was a poor joke,” said Stan Reid, chairman of CORC. “The alternative--that this (was) a deliberate attempt to obstruct the activities of CORC and the challengers is very unpalatable.”

Instead of racing, Il Moro di Venezia and Challenge Australia, with its new, black bowsprit, sailed inside on the bay to test heavy air sails--and, presumably, foul-weather clothing.

All other teams stayed at home and gave their crews at least part of the day off. None of the four teams based on Mission Bay attempted to sail, although French and Spirit of Australia spokespersons said leaving through the jetty into the south head wind would not have posed a problem.

New Zealand, based on Coronado Island, had towed its boat as far as Shelter Island at the head of the channel, then sent a chase boat out to check conditions.

“They came back and said it was wild and woolly,” team spokesman Alan Sefton said. “There was a big tide with a conflicting wind that really stirred things up.”

Sefton said the challengers didn’t consider racing inside on the bay.

“The defenders’ races don’t mean a lot now,” Sefton said. “Our races have more at stake right now, so it’s probably not a good idea to have to deal with the vagaries of setting a course inside the bay.”