Fay rebuffed by San Diego club

Press, 17 December 1987, Page 60

Fay rebuffed by San Diego club

NZPA-AAP New York The San Diego Yacht Club officials have rejected a bid by the Australian, Alan Bond, and at least two other syndicates to join the 1988 America’s Cup challenge.

They did so during a two-hour meeting yesterday with the New Zealand banker, Michael Fay, at the San Diego Yacht Club. The yacht club was represented by its newlyelected commodore, Doug Alford, while the Sail America Foundation which is sponsoring the defender, was represented by its chairman, Malin Burnham.

Mr Fay flew to San Diego after an urgent America’s Cup meeting in New York last week with seven other potential ' challengers. Australia and Britain said they would definitely have boats in the water in time for a 1988 challenge.

At least two American syndicates have expressed the wish to race San Diego’s yacht for the right to defend the Cup. San Diego made it clear to Mr Fay it would not budge on accepting only his legally sanctioned right to race for the Cup next year. Mr Alford reportedly told Mr Fay his club would not accept any other yachts either for a competition to determine the ultimate challenger or

for a defender’s series. A spokesman for Mr Fay said after the meeting the New Zealander was “deeply disappointed” with the outcome. Mr Fay wants to avoid further legal action at all costs, and is not expected to challenge San Diego’s decision in court. However, Alan Bond has already threatened to drag San Diego through the courts in a bid to gain challenger status. Mr Fay’s original challenge was lodged under the 100-year-old Deed of Gift, which allows any yacht club to challenge the custodian yacht club to a three-race one-on-one series in a boat of the challenger’s choosing. The New Zealander selected a maxi yacht, twice the size of the 12metre boats used in recent Cup competition, because it conformed most closely to the original Deed of Gift. And it would be a faster yacht to race in San Diego’s light airs. As the defender, San Diego chooses the site for the defence, and indicated yesterday it would use the rules in the Deed of Gift

to its advantage in deciding where the next America’s Cup would be held.

Mr Fay claims the yacht club which holds the Cup has to sail in its own waters, but the New York Yacht Club for years held the competition off Newport, Rhode Island. San Diego has also refused to accept it must race Mr Fay in an identical boat.

Mr Fay’s yacht, which is being built now, will be a single-hull, sloop-rigged vessel, about 30 metres long at the waterline. San Diego is considering building either a catamaran or a trimaran to gain the speed advantage available to multi-hulled vessels, ,

Meanwhile, the successful Stars and Stripes team which recaptured the America’s Cup from Australia has been given the task of meeting Fay’s challenge. Dennis Conner’s design co-ordinator, John Marshall, said the Stars and Stripes team had been given the role by San Diego Yacht Club and its America’s Cup manager, Sail America Foundation.