Syndicates hedge bets in choosing Cup defender

Press, 12 January 1987, Page 36

Syndicates hedge bets in choosing Cup defender

NZPA staff correspondent ROBERT LOWE Fremantle The format for the America’s Cup defenders’ final, due to begin on Wednesday, remains uncertain after a “truce” between the two remain-, ing Australian syndicates. Australia IV and Kookaburra representatives are to meet today to decide whether to stick to the scheduled . best-of-nine series, or to opt for a best-of-seven match. The meeting was announced yesterday by the chairman of the Royal Perth Yacht Club’s America’s Cup committee, Dr Stan Reid. The announcement came after three hours of discussions on Saturday between the chairman of the America’s Cup Defence (Australia IV) syndicate, Mr Alan Bond, the chairman of the Taskforce (Kookaburra) syndicate, Mr Kevin Parry, and the R.P.Y.C. Dr Reid said it was

decided that Australia IV and Kookaburra 111 would compete in the final. Should Kookaburra 111 be successful, it would trial against Kookaburra 11, which would continue its development work in the meantime.

If Australia IV won, it would also trial against Kookaburra II to find out which was the faster boat. Dr Reid said the final could be reduced to a best-of-seven match because there might not be enough time to complete all the necessary trials. The decisions have raised the possibility that Kookaburra 11, which is not taking part in the defenders’ final, could still end as the defender. Furthermore, it might well happen that the Bond crew sails Kookaburra II to defend the Cup.

The R.P.Y.C. called the meeting after simmering disagreements between the syndicates spilled out into the open at the end of last week, prompted in

part by the number of protests lodged during the defenders’ series.

The last of the jury decisions — over a request by Kookaburra II to reopen a hearing over the way Australia IV flew its “gennaker” on Tuesday — was finally delivered yesterday. The jury said no new evidence had been provided and it denied the Kookaburra request. Mr Bond said a draft proposal ’was being prepared that would allow the part-genoa, part-spin-naker to be flown, but in a defined manner. His syndicate’s executive director, Mr Warren Jones, denied that the changes to the defenders’ format meant the R.P.Y.C. could be compared with the New York Yacht Club, the previous holder of the America’s Cup. The original format was for the winner of the best-of-nine final to go through to be become the automatic defender, and

appeared to make no provisions for a yacht out of the final to get a second chance. But Mr Jones said the R.P.Y.C. was working objectively in selecting its defender. « “The New York Yacht Club, with their defenders, chopped and changed daily and nobody ever knew where they were,” he said. “The New York Yacht Club never had, a system — they made grown men cry.

“To the best of my knowledge, unless Kevin does it in secret and unless Alan does it in secret, none of us has , had to cry yet.” Mr Parry said Australia would be able to mount the best defence it could. “What we have devised is a way for Kookaburra II to go through its development programme and .the option is there to still use it if it develops as the fastest boat of the three.”