It’s Brother vs. Brother in France’s Bid for Cup

FREMANTLE, Australia —  The French campaign for the America’s Cup pits brother against brother in a test of haves against the have nots.

While hero-helmsman Marc Pajot sits in fourth place among the 11 clubs vying for the challenger’s nod, Yves wrestles with the stigma of last.

Despite the 43-point gap between the siblings, both sound optimistic their separate bids can win--Mark in 1987 and Yves in 1991.

“I am very, very happy,” says Marc, surrounded by an arsenal of sails in the large French Kiss complex on the Fremantle waterfront.

“We improved so much from the first round robin to the second,” Marc says of his 13-10 record. “And we’ll be even better in the last series.”

Using the top minds in French space age research and sails designed by computers, Marc contends he’s got the yacht to stop the New Zealanders who monopolize the No. 1 spot.

“When you get to the top, the differences are very slim,” says the 33-year-old Marc, combining the roles of manager and skipper.

Blaming the losses to New Zealand on his failure to cover, not on any superiority of KZ7’s fiberglass construction, Marc proudly describes his sleek gray Twelve as “close to perfection.”

Yves can’t worry about the rivals competing for the four top spots. He’s too busy inspiring his crewmen with the cry, “Aim for 1991!”

With his syndicate surviving bankruptcy last July but arriving here so late there was little time to practice, Yves is determined to stay in the competition until eliminated. Predictions of a Challenge France withdrawal are wrong, he says.

“It’s not so easy losing every day,” adds the 36-year-old Yves. “But we must keep in mind that we are training for the next Cup.”

Yves and Marc learned how to sail together as children in La Baule, on France’s northwest coast. The two crewed to silver medals in the Flying Dutchman class at the 1972 Olympics, but they have not sailed together for the last 12 years.

When the Pajot brothers and their families get together, they do not dwell on the America’s Cup. “We don’t discuss sailing at all,” says Yves. The two don’t practice against each other, either.

“They’re too far away,” Marc says candidly of the considerably slower boat. “The difference in speed is just too much.”

But Marc stresses he has never tried to persuade Yves to withdraw.

“They entered the competition late and maybe they are not as well prepared, but they have the right to participate,” Marc said. “There are no bad sailors here. Even those in last place are good, and maybe they will defeat a few more boats.”