AMERICA’S CUP UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : Now If the Skippers Can Keep Their Drives in the Fairways . . .

What will the victory by Nippon, a first-time entry, in the Louis Vuitton Cup challengers’ round-robin series mean back home in Japan?

Captain and mainsail trimmer Makoto Namba said, “A few years ago when they talked about the America’s Cup, most of the people thought it was a golf tournament.”

Namba, who speaks about as much English as Chris Dickson speaks Japanese, made his first appearance at a post-race press conference.

Gamely, he tried to answer in English the first question addressed to him about reaction in Japan.

“Also for us very surprise that Japanese media and newspaper and TV showing our performance,” Namba said. “Japanese are getting very excited.”

But when asked about New Zealand team manager Peter Blake’s comments about skipper Dickson and the Japanese--Blake has apologized--Namba deferred to publicist Emili Miura to translate, to make sure it came out right.

“Chris Dickson has been with us for three years,” said Namba, who would have been the skipper of an all-Japanese crew. “He has trained with us in the rain, and sometimes in the snow, and eating the same rice balls that we eat. And Chris, being there with such talent, has given a huge driving force to the challenge itself and has given huge respect to it.

“When we hear those words, we feel it’s very awkward, when it’s been said that he is a ‘mercenary’ or a ‘hired gun.’ We feel he is part of the team, and he has been a huge asset to us.”

Dickson said later that the acrimony isn’t among the skippers, who meet several times a year to compete in other events.

“At the sailors’ level there is a great rapport,” Dickson said. “We sit around and talk about yacht racing for hours. We’re all thrilled to be part of it.”

Most of the skippers and some other crew members involved in the America’s Cup are members of the International Match Racing Sailors’ Association, which emerged from the last multi-national Cup at Fremantle in 1987.

Peter Gilmour of Australia is the only president the group has ever had. His colleagues keep telling him he’s doing such a fine job that they wouldn’t think of nominating anyone else. Translation: the job is a lot of work that doesn’t pay anything.

However, Peter Huston, formerly sailing director of the Balboa Yacht Club, has been appointed executive director to administer the group’s business, which includes enlisting memberships from competitors in the various events.

Other officers are Eddie Warden-Owen of Wales, vice president; Peter Isler of San Diego, treasurer, and Luis Saenz, secretary, with Russell Coutts, Rod Davis, Dickson, Pedro Campos and Marc Bouet committee members.

The circuit has 10 events a year, plus a ranking system and a world championship sponsored by Mazda. The next event will be the Congressional Cup at Long Beach March 23-26. The worlds are scheduled for Long Beach in August.

Meeting in San Diego recently, the group changed its name to Professional Sailors’ Association.

More details: (714) 640-7495, or fax, (714) 640-5726.

Gilmour was asked who he expected to win the challenger trials.

“New Zealand,” he said, “unless someone else figures out the tandem keel technology.”

Gilmour and Iain Murray tried it on Spirit of Australia with spotty success. Experiments by others, including Stars & Stripes, were failures, but the Kiwis are the only ones who seem to have made it work.

After Saturday’s win by Nippon over New Zealand, Gilmour said, “At least it looks like the Cup will stay in the Pacific.”