San Diego move may go to court

Press, 25 January 1988, Page 1

San Diego move may go to court

PA Auckland Michael Fay says his big boat challenge for the America’s Cup is heading for another court battle after Sail America’s decision to defend with a multi-hull yacht. He said he was resigned to perhaps having to go back to the New York Supreme Court to make the Cup defender, the San Diego Yacht Club, sail September’s regatta in a mono-hull off San Diego. “We will take this thing as far as we have to,” Mr Fay told the “Auckland Sun” on his return yesterday. 1 “The America’s Cup has a history of 90 per cent of it being fought off the water. This one looks no different.”

Mr Fay said he would write to the San Diego Yacht Club this week and the response would determine if he goes ahead with the court action.

. The Americans scuttled talks jn -San Diego on Friday when they announced they would meet the Kiwi challenge in a multihull yacht at one of several locations giving them a big advantage over the New Zealanders.

“They wiped the whole agenda away.- We would have liked to talk about how many races there would be in the series, venue, that sort of thing,” said Mr Fay. "But that was no surprise in the America’s Cup game. This is round 44 in a 500-round fight. They’re very tough, very hard competitors.”

The San Diego Yacht Club has

repeatedly stated that it may take the defence to another Californian location, such as Long Beach or Santa Barbara near Los Angeles, or Santa Cruz near San Francisco, to get the stronger winds it feels necessary to counter the 90ft craft Mr Fay has had designed for the light breezes off San Diego. Other sites mentioned have included Honolulu in Hawaii and Corpus Christi in Texas. The San Diego Yacht Club has said it will build a catamaran and trimaran which would be faster than the New Zealand boat. They will be built in California and one is expected to be launched by July 1.

The New Zealand challenger argues that both options are not permitted under the Deed of Gift which governs the event.

“Challengers don’t come facing those sorts of odds. Indeed the contemplation in terms of America’s Cup when it was set up was not that,” Mr Fay said. “It’s not what the rules say, so that’s going to have to be sorted out eventually and we want it sooner rather than later.”

Mr Fay scotched speculation over the week-end that New Zealand might use Peter Blake’s Steinlager 1 multi-hulled yacht built for the two-handed roundAustralia race in August. Under the rules of the America’s Cup, New Zealand must stick with the mono-hull specifications it gave to the San Diego Yacht Club when it lodged its challenge last July. “It’s a non-issue really,” said Mr Fay. The Auckland yachting expert, Alan Sefton, believes the Kiwis will win any new legal battle and says the Americans are trying to force Mr Fay into court. “These are desperate tactics by desperate men,” he said of the multi-hull announcement. “Multi-hulls just aren’t allowed, and nor is a change in the venue. They’re forcing Michael Fay to take action to make him look bad.

“There could be a bad guy, good guy scenario developing. They’re putting in some pretty cheapshots.”

Earlier report, Page 21