America’s Cup Notebook : Selection Process Hailed

FREMANTLE, Australia —  Jon Wright, Stars & Stripes’ crew manager and mainsheet trimmer, is in his fifth America’s Cup campaign and his third final.

He was with Dennis Conner when they won it on Freedom in 1980 and lost it on Liberty in ‘83, under the New York Yacht Club.

“This is a better way to be selected to challenge or defend the cup,” Wright said. “In the past I’ve been used to the straw hats (NYYC committee members) coming over and saying, ‘OK, you’re our chosen boy.’

“This time we did it the old-fashioned way. We earned it.”

Sail America President Malin Burnham expected to meet with New Zealand syndicate chief Michael Fay today to ask the New Zealanders to reconsider helping the Australian defender of the America’s Cup.

The New Zealanders have indicated that they would prefer to see the next defense back in Australia so that it would be easier for them to challenge again without leaving the Southern Hemisphere.

After Stars & Stripes defeated KZ7 to win the challenge trials Monday, Burnham asked Fay “for 60 minutes of your time.”

“We’d be delighted,” Fay said.

The Stars & Stripes celebration started when the boat returned to the dock Monday.

Betsy, the tender, played a tape of the late Kate Smith singing “God Bless America,” tactician Tom Whidden snatched the large American flag off the stern and waved it, and a plane circled overhead trailing a sign reading, “Congratulations Stars & Strips.”

“We don’t care how they spell it,” Burnham said.

Another cause to celebrate was the addition of a sponsor, Pepsi Cola, for “a very substantial six-figure number,” Burnham said.

“The cola war is on. Coca-Cola has (sponsored the defense by) Australia.”

Pepsi’s involvement, plus other funds collected since Sail America’s appeal two weeks ago, is believed to have cut the $4-million deficit to well below $3 million. Pepsi also has committed for some sponsorship in 1990.

“I think there are 8 or 10 (potential sponsors) more out there,” Burnham said. “It looks like this (the Cup) is going to America.”

Warren Jones, executive director of Alan Bond’s syndicate, said he didn’t necessarily agree with speculation that its Australia IV, trailing Kookaburra III, 4-0, in the best-of-nine series after Monday, had been slowed by recent modifications.

“I don’t think the boat’s slower at all,” Jones said. “We’ve got to give credit where credit is due. I think they’re quicker (than they were).”

But it also appears that Australia IV has not always been sailed as well as it might have been.

Monday, for example, Kookaburra III had a three-second edge as the boats went off opposite ends, but they were virtually even when they met bow to bow on opposite tacks a few minutes later.

Australia IV skipper Colin Beashel, on port tack, had to yield rights and was a second or two late tacking under Kookaburra III’s bow. Iain Murray, Kookaburra skipper, luffed up a moment to avoid a collision and immediately unfurled his red protest flag.

Australia also soon lost clean air and finally had to tack away behind Kookaburra’s stern.

Rod Davis, Eagle skipper, and his wife, Liz, became parents of a daughter born Sunday at King Edward Hospital in nearby Subiaco.

Hannah Elizabeth, their first child, weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and was 51 centimeters long (20.4 inches), according to the metric system used in Australia.

“It sounds good,” Davis said, “but I don’t know how long a centimeter is.”