Americas Cup Warmup

North president and Stars & Stripes tactician Tom Whidden reports on the IACC Worlds.

It may have been autumn in San Diego, but it was spring training for the International America's Cup Class (IACC) yachts competing at the IACC Canterbury of New Zealand World Championship. Seven entries from four countries raced.

By any measure, the event has to be considered a tune-up for the America's Cup. This is most obvious in the format: the IACC Worlds features fleet-racing, while the America's Cup trials and finals feature match-racing.

On the defender side at the IACC Worlds was the America2 syndicate, the "women's team," sailing '92 Cup winner America2 (renamed Kanza.) There was, of course, Team Dennis Conner, with Dennis skippering his '92-vintage Stars & Stripes. PACT 95 made its Cup debut with Spirit of Unum (former Il Moro IV) with Olympic silver medalist Kevin Mahaney on the helm.

On the challenger side was OneAustralia, a second-generation IACC boat, skippered by John Bertrand, who in 1983 became the only non-American to ever win the America's Cup. Bertrand, incidentally, ran North Sails Melbourne at the time.

Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes flew the first North 3DL mainsail laminated with both Kevlar and Carbon yarns. Guy Gurney photo

From Japan, the Nippon group entered Nippon 92, skippered by John Cutler, tactician on the boat in '92, and Nippon 94, skippered by the team's Australian coach Peter Gilmour. Nippon 94, another second generation IACC boat, was dismasted a week before the Worlds and missed the first race. Finally was the Age of Russia syndicate, sailing Vek Rossi (former Il Moro I). The boat, skippered by FD Olympic silver medalist Sergey Borodinovin, symbolized Russia's first America's Cup action.

Four races were held offshore on the America's Cup course, with two additional exhibition matches inside San Diego Harbor to make the event more accessible to the community. A prize of $25,000 was offered for the exhibition matches. All four offshore races were won easily by oneAustralia (see sidebar), skippered by Bertrand and Rod Davis, primary skipper on New Zealand in '92. The boat was designed by Reichel & Pugh, part of the original America3 design team. She seemed longer and narrower than the competition, an extension of the theme proven successful by America3 in '92. OneAustralia was fast in light air, and fast when it blew. Such was the case in Race 4, which came to be known as "Demolition Day," when the mainsail ripped on Nippon 92; a spinnaker pole broke on Spirit of Unum; Nippon 94 twice lost its headsail due to halyard breakage; and one of our foredeck crew was swept off Stars & Stripes before being picked up by the chase boat.

OneAustralia won the Worlds with four firsts and a low-point total of three points. America3 finished a strong second with 13 points. "I'm very impressed with the women, " Bertrand commented. "They're in it to win. I think they're tired of receiving the attention that goes just with being women. They're moving from being a curiosity to a legitimate contender. They're much farther along than the public realizes. "

Nippon 94, despite missing one race, finished third with 17 points; Spirit of Unum was fourth with 18 points; Stars & Stripes finished fifth with 20 points; Nippon 92 finished sixth; and Vek Rossi finished last. In the exhibition races, watched by large crowds onshore, oneAustralia and Nippon 92 each won a race and tied for the $25,000 prize.

Five teams that are entered in the America's Cup were missing from "spring training": both French groups led by Marc Pajot and Marc Bouet; both New Zealand teams led by Chris Dickson and Peter Blake & Russell Coutts; and Syd Fischer's team from Australia.

The Defense Trials for the Citizen (Watch) Cup and the Challenger Trials for the Louis Vuitton Cup start in mid January, with the Cup series starting on May 6. For the first time, the defense will be a best-of-nine series, to ensure more racing and two weekends of competition for television viewers and spectators. Stay tuned!

The seven-boat fleet featured two second generation IACC designs that proved potent performers. They were extensions of the "longer-narrower" theme proved successful by America 3, in '94. Guy Gurney photo

Brothers In Arms

North Sails Sydney partners Grant Simmer (left) and Michael Coxon have found themselves in opposing camps in the Australian America's Cup wars.

They may be partners in North Sails Sydney, but Grant Simmer and Michael Coxon have found themselves in separate camps in the Australian America's Cup wars.

Simmer, a skilled engineer and sailor, is the design coordinator for John Bertrand's oneAustralia challenge, with a significant role in the syndicate's sail development program. Coxon, an accomplished Etchells 22 sailor and manager of the Sydney loft, heads the sail development program for rival Sydney '95 syndicate, headed by Cup veteran Syd Fischer.

North lofts worldwide view the Cup as an opportunity to advance sail design and construction for all sailors. Because of syndicate security, however, it isn't until after the final Cup match that programs are compared and secrets revealed.

For Simmer and Coxon, the approach to their sail development programs varies greatly. "Syd Fischer's plan is to keep using and re-cutting existing sails until the racing gets serious," Coxon says. "We're not trying to re-invent the wheel. The latest North 3DL working sails and spinnakers won't come out of the bag until the last minute." Simmer, John Bertrand's navigator aboard Australia II in 1983, is working with North designer Robert Hook on a different tack. "North's 3DL is obviously the way to go," Grant says. "We want the sails to be lighter, but with wider wind range. We'll be using carbon fibre {see Stars & Stripes photo on opposite pager, Spectra and Kevlar yarns in our 3DL sails. We'll also be trying to keep the big roach on the mains from 'panting' upwind."

On downwind sails, both agree there's a lot of work required on the asymmetric/downwind spinnaker crossover. They also feel there will be more widespread use of tougher, lighter polyester spinnaker fabrics such as North's TRANSPAC cloth. -Rob Mundle

Winner of the IACC Worlds was oneAustralia, skippered by John Bertrand and Rod Davis, show here flying her new North 3DL Genoa. Sharon Green photo