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Conner buoyant again after sinking Posted: Wednesday September 25, 2002 1:09 PM
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) -- Four-time America's Cup winner Dennis Conner believes his latest Cup campaign in Auckland is his best equipped since 1987, his helmsman Ken Read said in an interview Sunday. Read said Conner's Stars & Stripes challenge, representing the New York Yacht Club, was much better prepared for the 2002-2003 regatta than in its last Cup attempt off Auckland in 1999-2000. "The fact is the way we showed up last time I don't think we could compete at all this time around," Read told the Sunday Star-Times newspaper. "As Dennis puts it, this is his best chance with a very serious campaign since 1987." Conner, of San Diego, California, won the America's Cup in 1974 and 1980 off Newport, Rhode Island, 1987, off Fremantle, Australia and 1988 off San Diego. Read said the Stars & Stripes team was well prepared for the start of racing among challengers on Oct. 1, despite the sinking of the second of its two race yachts, USA-77, off Long Beach, California in July. USA-77, left with only its mast above the wavetops, was quickly salvaged and flown to Auckland but has yet to sail on the waters of Auckland's Hauraki Gulf on which the Cup will be decided. The yacht's debut in Auckland has been delayed while a new bow section was built in the United States, flown to Auckland and grafted to the hull. The team has carried out all of its pre-regatta training in Auckland in its first yacht, USA-66, and will sail the first round-robin matches of the challenger series in that yacht. USA-77 is likely to make its first appearance in round robin two, which begins on Oct. 22, Read said. "Our engineers and boat builders, who we believe in wholeheartedly, are telling us this boat will be stronger but it will weigh only about 2 kilograms [five pounds] more than the last boat did," Read said. "Was it unfortunate we had our issue with 77? Of course it was but we were blessed that nobody was hurt and we are going to get the boat back and we have really good people who can make it as good or better than it was before." Read said the sinking had made Stars & Stripes effectively a one-boat campaign in its leadup to racing, but has not been a crippling setback. Stars & Stripes has been the only team, among nine challenge syndicates from six countries, to avoid racing rival teams in the lead-up to the challenger series. All other teams have taken part in either privately or officially organized tuneup races. "There are clearly two arguments," Read said. "One of the arguments is to go out and get more race-tough, the other argument is to keep all your bullets in your gun and hope we are fast. This is a marathon, it isn't a sprint. "We are keeping all the bullets in the chamber and we will come out on Oct. 1 and start showing our hand a bit."
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