Eagle chief backs Dickson

Press, 7 January 1987, Page 48

Eagle chief backs Dickson

By

ROBERT LOWE,

of NZPA Fremantle At least one United States syndicate executive is hoping New Zealand succeeds in its bid to become the challenger for the America’s Cup. Eagle Challenge’s director, John Griffith, said he wanted KZ7 to beat Dennis Conner’s Stars and Stripes in the Louis Vuitton Cup final, which begins next Tuesday. “I will be backing New Zealand,” he said yesterday. “I don’t particularly care for Dennis Conner as the representative of our country. “His mouth is bigger than his ability.” However, Mr Griffith acknowledged that the best-of-seven match would be a close one, with the conditions possibly the determining factor. **l think it depends on the wind velocity,” he said. “Stars and Stripes looks better over 20 or 22 knots.” Mr Griffith also said Conner would have an advantage over his rival skipper, Chris Dickson, because of the Californian’s greater experience. “A lot will depend on the starts,” he said. “I think if Chris Dickson

can win the start and can cover Dennis Conner, then it will be close* 99 Mr Griffith, a banker and former commodore of the Newport Harbour Yacht Club in California, under whose burgee Eagle made its challenge, said he hoped the syndicate could mount another bid in 1990. And he said the syndicate would build in fibreglass if the issue of fibreglass 12-metres could be resolved. He said fibreglass could be the material of the future if •it got the nod from the International 12-metre Association. “We have some fine fibreglass technicians in California,” he said. “Fibreglass is probably stronger than aluminium. “I wonder whether, if you took KZ7 and built it in aluminium, it would still do as well.” A meeting of the association is due to be held on Monday, but Mr Griffith said he did not know if a decision would be made then. However, he described a reported proposal to seek a moratorium on the use of the material as a “cop-out” He said the only problem he saw with fibreglass construction was determining the density of hulls.