N.Z. now only undefeated yacht after Conner beaten

Press, 14 October 1986, Page 44

N.Z. now only undefeated yacht after Conner beaten

By

CHRIS PETERS,

of NZPA, in Fremantle

New Zealand notched up its second walkover in a row when it trounced the Italian slow-coach Azzurra, on a day of thrills and provocation off Fremantle yesterday that left the Kiwis the only unbeaten boat.

The New Zealanders caused no surprises in beating Azzurra by 4min 55s in the delayed eighth race of the America’s Cup elimination, but the thrills came from the grudge match between Dennis Conner, the man who fell from grace with the New York Yacht Club by losing their precious cup, and the club’s new favoured son, John Kolius. Kolius, at the helm of America 11, won the start by 2s, Conner snatched the lead on the first leg, and Kolius snatched it back at the end of the seventh to set up a trial of strength in a 5.2 km drive to the finish, with the New York boat coming out on top by 335.

The win left New Zealand undefeated after eight days of racing — one of those being a Kiwi lay day — with seven victories and some tough races to come. On the same course as the American duellists today, Challenge France — the late arrival and one of the easy-beats of the series so far — belied her status by almost pulling off the upset of the series against Italia I before going down by Imin 38s.

New Zealand won the start of her race by just Is, but the skipper, Chris Dickson, had the boat to her favoured windward end of the line, and the game was all over bar the shouting — and the completion of the next seven legs — as soon as he got going.

As in her previous races, New Zealand put on big margins going upwind, adding 2min 12s on the first beat, racing even on the next, then pouring it on upwind again to head out for the reaches 4min clear.

At the end of the reaches New Zealand was 4min 28s in front, but allowed the Italian boat to pull back 38s on the next

beat, before surging away on the last beat to win handsomely. But the thriller of the day was the match between America II and Stars And Stripes with all the needle between Conner and “The Club,” their boats, the preparation — Conner spurned Fremantle to work up in Hawaii while the New York Yacht Club has been in Fremantle the longest of all the syndicates — and the rivalry between the skippers. Conner was top dog at New York until 1983, while Kolius, the freshfaced Texan, almost cut him off at the knees in the 1983 defender elimination series by taking him to the last race of the series with the veteran Courageous before Conner and Liberty triumphed. At the first mark yesterday, Conner showed the upwind legs of Stars And Stripes to round 33s clear, America II showed her speed downwind by hauling 16s back, Conner dragged back 8s of that on the next beat and rounded for the two reaches 25s clear. On the first reach Kolius pulled back Ils, they were even on the reach back to the start, Conner added Ils upwind again and it looked all over. But then Kolius found an extra gear on America 11, poured on the power, and surged up behind Conner, ranged up on his left, cut back across his tail and tried to steal his wind with his bow almost touching Stars And Stripes’ stern.

Conner used all his match-racing skills to keep the New York boat in jail, but -then he made what proved to be a fatal error.

Kolius cut to the left, Conner didn’t go - with him, and at the bottom mark for the last time

America II had the overlap and rounded a bare 10s in front.

Conner immediately threw in a false tack, but Kolius was having none of it, Conner momentarily stalled, and Kolius was away. Then came the trial of straight-line strength that should have the New Zealanders on their toes for their meeting with Conner on Thursday.

Conner abandoned the smart stuff and unleashed Stars And Stripes upwind, boring up on the leeward (downwind) side of America 11, went straight through her dirty wind, ranged up on her starboard side and inched slowly ahead.

He forced Kolius to tack away, but instead of following him held his line, and when Kolius rounded up again, he went with a wind shift that saw him shut Conner in tactical jail until the finish. In the second race on the course, a victory looked a certainty for Italia I against the beleageured French boat after the Italians won the start by 5s and rounded •the first mark 33s ahead. But on the run downwind the Italians broke their spinnaker pole, and Challenge France surged through to round the bottom mark ahead for the first time in any of its America’s Cup races.

At the next four marks they held and expanded their lead to finish the reaches Imin 19s ahead before the Italians got their act together again and poured through to win.

In the other races yesterday, the radical USA beat Eagle by 2min 245, Canada II beat Courageous by 3min 535, and White Crusader beat Heart Of America by 3min 21s.