AMERICA’S CUP DAILY REPORT : CHALLENGER, DEFENDER TRIALS : Defiant Beats, Passes Stars & Stripes

Remains of the shattered mast and mainsail piled aside, Stars & Stripes crew members, short on sleep but long on pride, shoved off Wednesday to meet America 3’s Defiant off San Diego.

They had labored until 1:30 in the morning to replace the mast they had lost against America 3, the boat, the day before, and now unfolded another mainsail, not ready to be written off just yet.

They almost pulled it off. But Defiant, steered by owner Bill Koch the last five of eight legs, won by 23 seconds--about the length of a football field.

For the first time, the result dropped Stars & Stripes into third place in the defender trials behind the two America 3boats--just where Koch wants them in his stated goal to put two boats--America 3 and the fourth one yet to come--in next month’s defender finals.

Unless Stars & Stripes (6-12, 11 points) outsails Defiant (4-12, 12 points) Saturday, it will enter the March 28 semifinals down one bonus win to Defiant and two to America 3(16-1, 36 points).

Or . . . Koch can assure himself of that edge by having America 3throw today’s four points to Defiant.

Dennis Conner said switching to Stars & Stripes’ older mast and mainsail made no significant difference.

“In no way would I offer that as an excuse,” he said.

The challengers’ race of the day was no race at all. New Zealand (16-2), sailed flawlessly by skipper Rod Davis and the crew, smothered the wind of Il Moro di Venezia (12-6) at the start and sailed away to win by 5:01.

The day’s other results mathematically eliminated Sweden’s Tre Kronor (2-16) and both Australias--Spirit (6-12) and Challenge (1-17)--from the race for the semifinals, although Spirit broke a six-race losing streak by beating Tre Kronor by 6:42.

Espana ’92 (7-11) is alive but not well after losing to Nippon (15-3) by 4:13. The French clobbered Challenge Australia by 12:44.