Contest with Dickson likely

Press, 31 January 1989, Page 44

Contest with Dickson likely

PA Sydney The Australian yachtsmen, lain Murray and Peter Gilmour, fresh from their 12-metre challenge victory over Dennis Conner, will consider a contest against New . Zealand’s world match racing champion, Chris Dickson. The Sydney-based yachting team led by Murray and Gilmour took out the sAust3oo,ooo ($NZ425,970) winner’s prize on Sydney Harbour at the week-end, after Conner was grounded on some rocks in the seventh race of the eight-race series. Dickson, an interested observer for the series, met Murray and Gilmour on the wharf. Gilmour said yesterday that Dickson expressed his interest in a similar challenge against them but nothing had been planned. Voted the Australian yachtsman of the year in 1988, Gilmour said he would “love” to have a 12-metre match against Dickson who won the world match racing title in Perth last month. “I’ve done a lot of racing against Chris the last couple of years and we have shared the laurels,” Gilmour said. ' “I <think it would be a tremendous event, whether we do it in Sydney or Auckland.” After beating Conner at the week-end in a duel aboard sister yachts Kookaburra II and Kookaburra 111, Murray said he would probably be concentrating on design and America’s Cup syndicate organisation Having been whitewashed 4-0 by Conner in the America’s Cup two years ago, Murray’s victory in his home waters added to the revenge he gained at beating Conner in last year’s world 12metre championships. Although Cup challengers earlier this month agreed to adopt a 25-metre long class of yacht, proposed by Murray, Gilmour does not believe the 12-metre yacht is in danger of extinction just yet. The world 12-metre championships are scheduled for Perth In November and Gilmour predicts a big turnout.