Stars & Stripes 87 instance of America's Cup challengers
Stars & Stripes 87 (US 55) was the 12 Meter challenge boat sailed by Dennis Conner in his bid to reclaim the America's Cup from the Royal Perth Yacht Club of Australia in 1987.Design and development
Stars & Stripes 87 was built in 1986. She was the culmination of the team's 12 Meter design advances, the fifth boat in the Sail America Foundation stable, and the third of the new boat designs by Britton Chance Jr., Bruce Nelson and David Pedrick.  In 1983 the Cup had been lost to Australia II, a wing keeled boat that was markedly quicker in stays than Liberty. It was known that the course for the Cup in 1987 would have an increase in the number of legs, going from six legs to eight. There had been no change made in the course length to be sailed, thus the distance of each leg was shorter. Most believed this would place a greater premium on design trends established in Australia II, a boat that could turn fast and accelerate out of a tack quickly.
Conner chose not to follow the common reasoning. His direction to the design team was to create a boat built for straight ahead speed.  Conner believed pure boat speed would be the most important factor for success in the heavy seas and strong winds expected at Gage Roads off Fremantle. The boat designed was framed longitudinally rather than transversely, making the boat stiffer and stronger without a corresponding weight increase. The keel had a bulbous lead. A pair of wings extended off the aft-most third of the keel. The boat's snub nose entry was not the most aesthetic of designs, but the result was a fast, heavy air boat. John Marshall, Conner's mainsheet trimmer on board Liberty in the '83 campaign, was made design team coordinator. Marshall was essential to the team's success during the testing and tuning phase. Stars & Stripes 87 was competitive in 10 to 12 knots of wind, and excelled in winds of 16 knots and more.Louis Vuitton Cup
Stars & Stripes 87 was a clear contender from the start of the 1987 Louis Vuitton Cup regatta, winning 11 of 12 races in the first round robin, including the only round robin victory of any boat over Kiwi Magic (KZ 7). The second round was a period of concern. Conner's boat was optimized for heavy airs, and suffered from a shortage of sails for lighter breezes. When a spell of Easterlies settled over Western Australia she was caught out of her element and dropped a disappointing four races. She lost to Tom Blackaller and USA in 5 to 10 knot winds, and the following day to the Kiwis, even though the breeze had picked up to 22 knots. On the ninth day she lost again to the British team White Crusader in 4 to 6 knot breezes, and the following day to Canada II, which she had led around the final mark but was caught out when the breeze died away.  Aided by between-round changes to the keel's winglets and the more consistent presence of the "Fremantle Doctor" in late summer, the third round saw her come to form, with significant improvement in her upwind performance. The final round robin she lost twice, to the top boat Kiwi Magic and to the always competitive USA. Coming into the Louis Vuitton Cup finals she was the second highest point scorer, and was set on a collision course with longtime rival Tom Blackaller, and USA.
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