AMERICA’S CUP : Tables Are Turned for Kiwis and Conner

From 4-1 ahead to 3-4 behind, New Zealand will be sailing to avoid elimination in the America’s Cup today.

Il Moro di Venezia’s 20-second victory Wednesday put the Italians in position to win the best-of-nine challenger finals.

There was a turnabout in the defender finals, also.

For the first time in this week’s light wind and calm seas, Bill Koch’s America 3 was able to beat Conner’s Stars & Stripes, by 1 minute 8 seconds, to scuttle Conner’s winning streak at three and lead the best-of-13 defender trials, 5-4.

New Zealand seemed to be sitting pretty with a 4-1 lead last Saturday until the jury annulled the victory--without awarding it to Il Moro--because of an eight-second sail-rigging infraction involving the Kiwis’ bowsprit.

That put the Kiwis lead back to 3-1 and, with Il Moro skipper Paul Cayard bashing them relentlessly on the bowsprit issue, they haven’t been able to beat Il Moro since.

They were desperate enough Wednesday to replace skipper Rod Davis with understudy Russell Coutts, one of Davis’ original rivals for the job and the only “native foreigner” skippering a boat here. Davis was raised in Coronado and holds dual citizenship.

Cayard, an American temporarily from Venice, and Davis are old pals, but friendship has nothing to do with this.

“They’re changing skippers,” Cayard said. “We’re starting to see the pressure of the fact that an eight-year, $100-million program for (New Zealand’s) Michael Fay could be near its end.”

Coutts, 30, is the world’s top-ranked match-racing skipper and an aggressive helmsman, but he was considered less experienced than Davis, who is in his sixth America’s Cup.

Coutts, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the Finn class, was preparing to fly home to raise money for another Olympic campaign Tuesday night when syndicate manager Peter Blake told him to stick around. Although the daily crew list showed the usual 16, Coutts and his backup boat tactician, Brad Butterworth, showed up to face Il Moro.

Davis and his tactician, David Barnes, watched from the team tender.

Davis took the team player approach, saying: “I’ve thrown for nine innings now, and it’s going into extra innings and we’re bringing in a relief pitcher. To leave that depth in the back room doesn’t make sense.”

Blake said it hadn’t been decided who would sail today. If Coutts has an edge over Davis, it’s in the pre-start sparring. Davis is more accustomed to steering the tricky tandem-keeled boat.

With an even start Wednesday, New Zealand led briefly, but once Il Moro moved ahead, Cayard covered well and never offered an opportunity to pass.

The defenders’ race also was tight, but the lead switched three times on crossings and roundings, and perhaps three or four other times when the boats were separated on various legs, including the last one.

When it became evident that America 3 would win, Koch was ebullient.

“We did it in (Conner’s) conditions,” the owner chortled from the boat.

Conner said: “Bill has done a terrific job and that’s a heck of a boat. The more I see it the more I’m convinced the Cup is gonna stay here in America.”