AMERICA’S CUP : Mighty Mary (and Dave) Try New Tactic in the Semifinals

When the America’s Cup defender semifinals started Saturday, America 3added, or should have added, an asterisk to its already unique name.

* All-female, except Dave.

The one America 3claim to fame was that it was racing with an all-female crew. On Saturday, it tried a new tactic, or at least a new tactician. Dave Dellenbaugh, previously a coach, sailed for the first time as tactician when Mighty Mary opened the semifinals against PACT’s Young America.

Syndicate head Bill Koch said the decision to replace J.J. Isler with Dellenbaugh was prompted by the crew’s suggestion that more experience was needed in the boat’s afterguard. Dellenbaugh was the starting helmsman and tactician when America 3won in 1992.

“Dave seems like the logical person to jump-start our experience level,” said Dawn Riley, the America 3captain.

Isler, Koch said, could be used elsewhere on the boat.

Despite the change, America 3lost to Young America by 32 seconds because tangled lines cost the Mighty Mary crew 1 minute 10 seconds on the second downwind run.

Each team has seven semifinal races remaining, but it would be difficult to imagine Young America not making the defender finals and equally difficult to imagine America 3surviving. The boat would have to win five of its remaining races, exactly the number it has won in its first 22 outings.

Young America, which faces Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes today, already is credited with three semifinal “victories” because of the two bonus points it earned for winning the round-robin series. Stars & Stripes has one bonus point, equaling one victory, and America 3 has none.

In the first two challenger semifinal races, Team New Zealand and oneAustralia were both victorious, Team New Zealand defeating TAG Heuer (New Zealand) by 2:15 and oneAustralia defeating Nippon by 2:39.