Fay-Conner Duel Appears Unlikely

Arrivederci, Venezia.

It’s time for the Italians aboard Il Moro di Venezia to dig out their passports because the Kiwis are packing their bags for them. If Paul Cayard and Co. don’t accomplish a rapid and dramatic turnaround over the weekend, they’ll be feeding pigeons in Piazza San Marco soon thereafter.

Sir Michael Fay’s NZL-20 is up 3-1 in the best-of-nine series and really only a wisp of wind from being up 4-0.

Il Moro, in truth, is lucky to be as close as it is . . . and it is not very close. It won the second race by all of one second because its sail billowed over the finish line ahead of the Kiwi sail. Winning by a thread is even closer than winning by a hair.

Even given that narrowest of losses, New Zealand is in commanding position in the America’s Cup challenger finals. It must win only two of five races to arrive upon its first real experience with racing for America’s Cup.

What could come of this would be the irony of ironies.

Michael Fay . . . in.

Dennis Conner . . . out.

Fay has been a thorn in the side of Conner since late 1986, when he arrived at Fremantle, Australia, for the America’s Cup challenger series. For exactly that same length of time, Conner has been a thorn in the side of Fay.

These men have gone after each other in protest rooms, on the water and in court.

Thus far, Conner has gotten the best of their battles.

The Kiwis arrived at Fremantle with their plastic fantastic known as Kiwi Magic, the fiberglas boat that drew screams of protest from the other challengers, Conner among them. Fay won the protests and then watched his boat sail to a 37-1 record in the challenger series.

And then along came Conner with Stars & Stripes.

Zip, zap, whap, bang. Conner won that challenger final series, 4-1, and the Kiwis were out. The boat that could not lose had lost to its most villainous adversary. Conner went on to recapture the Cup and the Kiwis went home in a funk.

Fay took his next shot in 1988, when he challenged Conner with a 132-foot yacht that looked like a cross between an old 12-meter and an aircraft carrier. Conner met this maverick challenge with a catamaran that blew Fay out of town in what had to be the most farcical America’s Cup racing ever.

It was an absurd, though legal, challenge by Fay and an absurd, though legal, response by Conner.

These antagonists have not crossed paths in 1992, other than maybe blowing kisses across the water while practicing. The nature of the competition keeps the challengers and defenders separated until the best of the former meets the best of the latter for the America’s Cup itself.

Conner’s fortunes took an upward twist of sorts when Stars & Stripes defeated America 3Thursday, but he, too, trails by 3-1 in the defender finals. The only reason he is not in as much jeopardy as the Italians is that the defender series is best-of-13, giving him a bit more margin for error . . . and comeback.

Fay’s fortunes are as bright as they have ever been. Even that 37-1 boat of 1986-87 had to start over again at 0-0 in the final series to reach the Cup racing. He’s now at 3-1 and in need of only two more victories to get where he has so desperately wanted to go.

To a real America’s Cup championship series.

After a lay day today, the Kiwis could wrap this up Saturday and Sunday. If New Zealand keeps going like it went Thursday, there will be dancing and prancing on Kiwinado Sunday night.

In the prestart maneuvering, Kiwi skipper Rod Davis played either chicken or hide-and-seek with Il Moro’s Cayard. They ducked in and out among spectator boats and, at one point, both tried to squeeze into the same narrow passage between boats. That the Italians were forced to veer away was a portent of things to come.

Once the racing started, it was over.

New Zealand led by 59 seconds at the first mark and expanded that margin on each of the ensuing legs to win by 2 minutes 26 seconds. By the last leg, Davis looked as comfortable as he would be on a Sunday cruise off Auckland. It would not have been surprising to see the crew munching McMutton Nuggets and sipping wine.

It was that easy.

The Italians tried to make it scary with a mysterious protest flag they seemed to be flying just in case they could think of anything to protest. These are times of desperation for Il Moro di Venezia.

For Michael Fay, these are the best of times. For all these years, he may have craved the opportunity to be the one to defeat Dennis Conner. But he will be quite pleased to go to the party without him.