Australia extends sailing battle to protest room

Press, 23 September 1980, Page 30

Australia extends sailing battle to protest room

NZPA

Newport, Rhode Island

Australia pushed Freedom to the limit yesterday, and failed narrowly on the waters of Rhode Island Sound, but today the Australians continue their battle on shore —in the America’s Cup protest room.

The defending American yacht staved off a relentless Australian pursuit around the 24.3 nautical mile course, crossing the finish lir.i 53 seconds in front. The Australians are challenging that result before an international protest jury, although they refused last night to say on what grounds. Freedom may also be lodging a protest of its own. If Australia’s protest should be dismissed, _ Freedom will lead, 2-1, in the best-of-seven 1980 cup match. The Americans have never lost the cup. They have rarely lost a race for that matter in the cup’s 129-year history, but the defending skipper, Dennis Conner, and his crew know they have a fight on their hands this time. As Australia applied pressure from behind yesterday, Freedom had the uncomfortable— and unusual — experience of seeing two sails rip apart in the 10-16 knot winds and hazy conditions. First a spinnaker split up the middle, then a genoa gib blew out, and later the Americans lost control of their spinnaker pole. The Victorian football coach, Ron Barassi, made a special trip to Newport on the eve of the cup match to i give the Australian crew a pep talk. A few of the 1

> things he said seem to have ; StUCk. [ Think of yourselves as , marathon runners, he told ' them. Never give in. Imagine there is a piece of string tied between the yachts. If . you’re behind, never let it i get tight. Yesterday, the Australians did not cede an • inch they could not help. “It was a tight, close race •with lots of pressure from •both sides,” said John Bertrand, the coach and chief sail trimmer on board Australia. The pattern of the race was that Freedom took the honours on all the windward legs, and Australia fought back on all the off-wind legs. The Australian skipper, Jim Hardy, did not appear at the post-race press conference. The syndicate head Alan Bond, explained that Hardy and his crew went straight from their boat tc watch film of the race while it was still fresh in their minds. The Australians went ahead and filed a protest after the race, but flatly re= fused to say what it was all about. There was wide speculation that Australia’s complaint was that Freedom’s spinnaker flew off the pole for too long during the foulup around the second weather mark.

Under intense questioning, Mr Bond would not budge.

Later in the piece, he was asked if the Australians were bothered by the spinnaker flying off the pole. “Yes, it bothered us,” he said.

Freedom, like Australia, hoisted its protest flag down the fifth leg. Not only would Conner. refuse to say why, he would not even say if Freedom was going to lodge an official protest. The raising of a flag during the race does not, in itself, constitute a protest. It merely indicates an intention to protest.