AMERICA’S CUP UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : J.J. Isler to Be Honored Today

If a woman is ever going to skipper an America’s Cup boat, it might be J.J. Isler of San Diego.

Isler, wife of ESPN Cup commentator and former Stars & Stripes navigator Peter Isler, will receive her second Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award at the New York Yacht Club this morning.

Star sailor Ed Adams of Newport, R.I. will be honored as Yachtsman of the Year.

Isler, 28, and crew Pam Healy are the leading contenders for the U.S. berth in the 470 dinghy class at the Barcelona Olympics this summer. They won the women’s world championship at Brisbane in December.

Isler, who was first named Yachtswoman of the Year in 1986, also has sailed successfully on keelboats and competes regularly against men--not only in 470s but in international match-racing events.

As the only woman skipper, she placed fourth in the Columbus Cup at Baltimore and the Liberty Cup at New York last year, while winning an all-woman match racing event at Baltimore.

This week she and Healy placed fourth overall--the first women--in the 470 class of the 470 Midwinters at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Barnes was asked about today’s race against Il Moro di Venezia.

“We’ll sail as hard as we can,” he said, “just as we did in the first race against the Italians.”

The Kiwis blew the lead and lost that race when they made three wrong tactical decisions at the first windward mark. Il Moro skipper Paul Cayard accused them of “sandbagging” to let his boat win.

Ville de Paris kept Spirit of Australia at arm’s length Tuesday, winning by 1:48, but skipper Marc Pajot knows that beating only slower boats won’t win the America’s Cup.

“Now we know that Il Moro could have a tenth of a knot more in boat speed over Ville de Paris,” Pajot said, reflecting on Monday’s 11-second loss.

With luck and skill, a boat can hold off a slightly faster boat, as Ville de Paris did in its 25-second, first-round victory over Il Moro. But luck ran out minutes from the finish Monday when a snap-shackle broke open, releasing the spinnaker and forcing the French to jibe away from covering Il Moro.

The Italians quickly took advantage to go ahead and win.

“We have some ideas of where to find this fraction of a knot,” Pajot said. “Although it is difficult and expensive, we will find the speed.”