From: wwalker@qualcomm.com (Bill Walker)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: America's Cup results for April 4, 1992
Date: 6 Apr 92 17:24:50 GMT
Organization: Qualcomm, Inc

OK, folks, lots of you have written to tell me you _are_ still interested 
in these reports (it seems there are people out there who still don't have 
cable TV.  Can you believe it?  :-) ).  Please _don't_ keep those cards 
and letters coming in, I've gotten enough already.  Also, thanks for your 
kind words about my coverage, but all the credit really belongs to Bill 
Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  I just type in what he writes in 
the paper.

America's Cup results for Saturday, April 4, 1992, from the San Diego 
Union-Tribune.

CHALLENGERS

Conditions:  Winds:  9 knotes at start, dying steadily to less than 4 for 
the final downwind legs.  Direction:  Southwest, shifting 20 degrees to 
the left early, patchy and oscillating.  Seas:  moderately heavy with 
4-foot swell on top of chop.

Ville de Paris defeated Il Moro di Venezia by 1:56.  Shades of Dennis 
Conner's loss to Australia II in 1983.  Italian skipper Paul Cayard failed 
to cover Ville de Paris on the last downwind leg when French skipper Marc 
Pajot sailed his boat out to the right corner of the course.  Ville de 
Paris found more wind and cleaimed a victory from a certain defeat, 
knocking the Italians out of sole possession of first place into a 
three-way tie.  The last run, where Il Moro lost 2:26 and the lead, was 
one of two major disasters for the Italians.  After reaching the first 
weather mark with a 39-second lead, Il Moro's crew got the spinnaker 
halyard on the wrong side of the mailsail.  When the chute begain to fill, 
the second highest batten in the main snapped on the halyard.  The 
spinnaker then hour-glassed.  Il Moro's crew had to drop the spinnaker, 
set a jib, set a new spinnaker and then drop the job.  Ville de Paris made 
a 53-second gain (the total gain on the two runs:  3:19) and took the 
lead.  Although the broken batten hindered mailsail trim, Il Moro regained 
the lead with a 56-second gain on the final leg to weather.

New Zealand defeated Nippon by 2:49.  New Zealand pulled away in the final 
mile of the last leg to move into a three-way tie for first and push the 
first Japanese challenge to the brink of elimination.  Nippon didn't help 
itself [Saturday], either, after gaining 29 seconds on the second run and 
pulling virtually even with the Kiwis after a mark-rounding problem at the 
end of the run caused New Zealand to drop one end of its spinnaker pole 
into the ocean.  Midway up the second weather leg, New Zealand just 
cleared Nippon's bow on port and tacked into a "slam dunk" position.  
Nippon skipper Chris Dickson hardened up against New Zealand, forcing the 
Kiwis to alter their course.  The Kiwis protested and the on-the-water 
referees ruled Nippon had no rights in the situation.  The Japanese boat 
was forced to make a 270-degree penalty turn.  Nippon went from being even 
to trailing by 51 seconds at the weather mark.  NZ stretched its lead on 
the reaches and gained a whopping 2:37 going back to weather the last time 
as winds died to under two knots.  On the run to the finish, Nippon 
followed Ville de Paris' lead and sailed uncovered into the right corner 
of the course.  When the boas came back together, New Zealand's 4:20 lead 
was reduced to a boat length.  But NZ is the faster boat off-wind in light 
breezes and pulled away.

Standings:
              Overall record
              |    Il Moro di Venezia
              |    |    New Zealand
              |    |    |    Ville de Paris
              |    |    |    |    Nippon
              |    |    |    |    |
Il Moro      3-2       1-1  1-1  1-0
New Zealand  3-2  1-1       0-1  2-0
Ville de P.  3-2  1-1  1-0       1-1
Nippon       1-4  0-1  0-2  1-1


DEFENDERS

Conditions:  Wind:  8 knots at start, dying slowly to less than 5 at the 
finish.  Direction:  Southwest, shifting 15 degrees to the left and 
oscillating throughout the afternoon..  Seas:  Moderately rough with 
4-foot swell and chop.

Stars & Stripes defeated America^3 by 1:56.  Dennis Conner's chances of 
reaching the defender finals gain again while the situation in the 
America^3 camps grows more confusing.  For the first time in the trials, 
Kimo Worthington was steering A^3.  For the first time in the trials, 
Buddy Melges wasn't on the boat.  Starting helmsman Dave Dellenbaugh did 
an excellent job at the start and A^3 hit the line 16 seconds ahead of 
S&S.  With Worthington steering an sailing in its preferred light airs, 
A^3 gained 25 seconds on the first windward-leeward lap and led by 41 
seconds going into the second weather leg.  Skipper-helmsman Bill Koch 
tool the A^3 wheel from Worthington [and guess what happened!].  And 
Conner gained 65 seconds in oscillating breezes - taking over the lead by 
sailing out from under America^3's cover on a long leg to port.  Conner 
protected his lead on the reaches and gained another 1:23 on the final 
beat.  Stars & Stripes is [will be] assured of a spot in the finals with 
one more win over America^3.

Schedule:
April 6:  lay day.
April 7:  Stars & Stripes vs. America^3, 12:15 PM.
April 8:  Stars & Stripes vs. America^3.
April 9:  America^3 vs. Kanza.

Standings:
              
                  Scored wins (includes bonus wins)
                  |    Stars & Stripes
                  |    |    Kanza
                  |    |    |    America^3
                  |    |    |    |
Stars & Stripes   4        1-1  2-0
Kanza             4   1-1       1-0
America^3.        0   0-2  0-1     

Kanza entered this round with two bonus wins based on points acquired by 
Defiant and America^3 in first three rounds.  Stars & Stripes received one 
bonus win for second-most points.  America^3 was placed in slot with zero 
wins.

----------
Bill Walker - WWalker@qualcomm.com - QUALCOMM, Inc., San Diego, CA
All opinions expressed are mine, and do not reflect those of my employer.
"First thing we do, we kill all the lawyers." - Shakespeare