AMERICA’S CUP : New Zealand Commences Changing Rules in Its Favor

If we are fortunate enough to win this event . . . we’re going to clean it up. We’re not going to have rules that are different from one side to another. It’s going to be . . . on an absolutely even basis.

--Peter Blake, Team New Zealand chief, May 5, 1995

It started even before the trophy was formally handed over Monday. The ink wasn’t dry on New Zealand’s plan for America’s Cup XXX, and already the flak was flying.

Peter Blake, like defenders before him, had promised the next race would be equitable. But, as before, it appears to be more equitable for the defense.

According to the Kiwis’ 22-page plan, they’re going to:

--Stage the event in the 1999-2000 season, or any other time they please.

--Make foreigners pay for jumping ship by stretching the residency requirement from two to three years.

--Build as many boats as they want, up to four, while limiting challengers to two each.

--Exclude (paper) yacht clubs whose primary purpose is to challenge for the America’s Cup.

And anyone who doesn’t like the way things are being run can appeal to a five-person arbitration panel dominated by two members each from the New York Yacht Club and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

Anyone who goes to court forfeits the right to compete.

While the Kiwis purported publicly not to be presuming victory until the Cup was actually won, in private the final match was barely under way when they began talks with the New York Yacht Club about signing on as challenger of record. The challenger of record administers the challengers’ trials and looks after their interests.

Why the New York Yacht Club?

Since New Zealand’s first Cup campaign in 1986-87, NYYC has been supportive of the Kiwis in squabbles with the organizers, including Dennis Conner’s use of a catamaran to defend against Michael Fay’s rogue, big-boat challenge mandated by the New York Supreme Court in 1988.

Why 1999-2000, instead of 1998-99, which would leave the Cup in its customary three- to 3 1/2-year rotation?

Blake said that ‘98-99 would conflict with the ‘97-98 Whitbread Round-the-World race.

A more compelling reason may be that NYYC, bereft of the America’s Cup since ‘83, will start its replacement event, the International Cup, at Newport, R.I., in September 1996, with the second scheduled in ’99. A source said Team New Zealand had committed to enter, lending considerable prestige to the event.

Like this time, the Kiwi plan also says challengers and defenders will be limited to building two boats each, unless there is only one of either, in which case they could build four.

But there will be more than one challenger--several more--and most likely only one defender: Team New Zealand.

“It’s a huge advantage,” said one veteran of Cup intrigue.