SAILING / RICH ROBERTS : Davis to Fly Yet Another Nation’s Flag

The Long Beach Yacht Club’s 29th Congressional Cup starting today features America’s Cup veterans Eddie Warden-Owen of Wales, Chris Law of England, Bertrand Pace of France, Pedro Campos of Spain and Rod Davis of many countries.

Davis, who grew up in Coronado on San Diego Bay, might be the first to sail for three nations.

After unsuccessfully wrestling the Newport Beach Yacht Club’s Eagle 12-meter around Fremantle in 1986-87, he skippered New Zealand’s entry at San Diego last year--at least until the Kiwis, shaken by Il Moro di Venezia in the challenger finals, panicked and benched him for the last two races, which they lost.

Davis has joined John Bertrand, who won the Cup with Australia II for Alan Bond in 1983 and has mounted the One Australia campaign for 1995.

“Bertrand is the skipper,” Davis said, “(although) I’ll probably end up steering the boat some.”

He also will manage and help to select the crew.

Davis, the only three-time winner of the Congressional, has made a nice comeback since the America’s Cup. He won an Olympic silver medal in the Star class for New Zealand at Barcelona last summer, to go with a gold in Solings for the United States in 1984. In January he won the Omega Australia Cup, the first event on the world match-racing tour, by winning 20 of 23 races and defeating Australia’s Peter Gilmour in the finals, 3-0.

The Congressional is the second of 11 events and the only U.S. stop.

Other entries include San Diego’s J.J. Isler, the event’s first female skipper; defending champion Terry Hutchinson, Traverse City, Mich.; Roy Heiner, The Netherlands; Steve Grillon, King Harbor YC, and Mike Elias, LBYC.

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The America’s Cup Defense Committee approved only two defenders--Dennis Conner and Kevin Mahaney--which supports Bill Koch’s argument that the event isn’t attractive to teams from other U.S. towns who would have to defend the Cup for the San Diego Yacht Club.

Conner and Mahaney met the criteria by posting $150,000 non-refundable entry fees and certifying $2 million in support.

Koch? “We’re not counting on him,” chairman Bill Munster said. “We have two strong defenders.”

They are presently outnumbered by 14 challengers from nine countries, although some will drop out before 1995.

Koch could certainly afford the admission price, but has indicated he won’t be back unless the club agrees to some of his proposed conditions, especially the one about selling the venue rights to a successful U.S. team from another city for $2 million, with a defense every two years.

Koch came from Wichita, Kan., and points east to defeat Conner and retain the Cup for San Diego last year.

Said Munster: “The venue is not an issue, as far as the San Diego Yacht Club is concerned.”

But that’s only the opinion of the club’s board of directors. The 1,800 members might find the prospect of $1 million per year to lower the dues, paint the trim and fund a junior sailing program attractive.

However, the club is believed to be close to signing a $6-million agreement with IMG for marketing rights.

Mahaney, an Olympic silver medalist and runner-up in the match-racing world championship last year, is partners in PACT ’95 with former Conner sidekick John Marshall. San Francisco’s Lynda Corrado, who hoped to enter an all-woman boat, was excused from further consideration for lack of backing.

Sailing Notes

CONGRESSIONAL CUP--Races will start at 11 a.m. daily through Sunday, wind permitting. Crews of six, including skippers, will sail Catalina 37s around a short windward-leeward course between the Ocean Blvd. bluff and the Queen Mary, visible from shore. . . . For the first time the event will feature a double round-robin, with no sailoffs. Final standings will be determined strictly on won-lost records.

Also new is a limited radio broadcast loop. New Zealand sailing commentator Peter Montgomery will broadcast descriptions of the races on 1620 AM. . . . The Save Our Seas Foundation has joined the Long Beach Yacht Club in sponsorship. SOS will have an information booth on the grounds, offering literature, T-shirts and posters.

INSTRUCTION--International rules expert and two-time Congressional Cup winner Dave Perry will be at California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey on April 3 for a day-night series of seminars and on-water instruction. A lecture on “one-design, dinghy and small boat racing” at 9:30 a.m. will be followed by two hours of on-water coaching at noon. Perry then will discuss “strategic and tactical application of the rules” at 3 p.m. and “changes in the 1993-96 racing rules” at 7:30. Fee is $12.50 for each lecture or $30 for all three, $20 for those under 21. Details: (310) 823-0605.