N.Z. challenge for yachting’s top trophy

Press, 2 May 1984, Page 52

N.Z. challenge for yachting’s top trophy

NZPA Staff Correspondent Sydney An Auckland yacht club has thrown down a New Zealand challenge for the first Australian defence of the Americas Cup in 1987.

The club, which is understood to be the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, is one of the 23 clubs from all over the world which paid up their ?Austl2,ooo (NZ16.800) by last Monday night’s deadline. Apart from the New Zealanders, nine American syndicates, four Italian, three French, two Canadian, two British, and one each from Germany and Switzerland have also challenged. Officials at the Royal Perth Yacht Club were overwhelmed by the rush of entries to beat the April 30 deadline, and said the New Zealand bid was one of the last, with the money paid into the Perth bank on Friday.

Peggy Rogers, the secretary of the club’s Americas Cup Committee, said the names of the challengers would be announced on May 30, after it had been confirmed they all compiled with the Deed of Gift that came with the cup from Newport. “All challengers will be asked to fill in a questionaire,” she said.

“The main requirements are that the challenging clubs belong to a national body and that they conduct their major regatta on an arm of the sea.” So far there has been no decision what selection process, if any, will be used to whittle down the number of challengers to a manageable figure, but Mrs Rogers said it was expected the number would drop anyway as time went on.

“We expect that some of the challengers have paid up to have their bid in, but will withdraw later because they can’t get ready in time,” she said. “The forecast was for 12-15 challengers and we

were surprised to get so many. There are some surprises in who has challenged too — we didn’t expect one from the Kiwis for example.” The large number of challengers will pose logistical problems for the Perth club.

The biggest multiple challenge faced by the New York Yacht Club — which held the cup until Australia II lifted it last year — was reported to be seven. The logistical problems will extend to berthing as well, with officials expecting each challenging team to bring two 12-metre yachts, a 30-metre command vessel and a 20-metre tender boat.

On top of the visting crews, there are so far four definite challengers for the defender’s role, with two more possibles, and the deadline for those entries is not until June 30.

The money involved in the enterprise will also be extensive, with the Alan Bond-financed challenge last year costing sAust4 million (SNZS.6 million). The Challenge 12 committee from Victoria budgeted for ?Aust2 million, and found it was not enough.

“But that was over in New York and the New Zealanders won’t have to come as far to challenge us,” said Mrs Rogers. The cup challenge will be over a triangular ocean course in the Indian Ocean off Fremantle. Rob Green, the Commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, said in Auckland last night that no authority had been given for a challenge to be lodged in the name of the squadron. He did, however, disclose that an approach had been

made to the club to lodge a challenge. “It now appears the yacht squadron may become involved in the Americas Cup challenge,” said Mr Green. “Somebody appears to have put up a deposit to lodge the challenge. “People do not commit themselves to that sort of money if they are not serious,” he said.

“I must reiterate that the club cannot bear the cost involved to make an Americas Cup challenge. “The club can only act as a challenger and the effort has to come from a group or a syndicate.

“It has all happened very suddenly and we are holding' discussions with the principals who are interested in mounting the challenge.” Mr Green said that he could not name the people to whom he was talking.

“It is over to them and if they can guarantee the finance the yacht squadron will very definitely be interested in a challenge,” he said. It has been estimated that a challenge for the Americas Cup could cost up to $8 million.