Original sentence: A legal battle ensued over whether Conner or Fay had broken the rules or if both had merely skirted the edges of them.The challenge used a gigantic yacht named New Zealand (KZ1) or the Big Boat.The teams were directed by one American court to compete in the race, which New Zealand predictably lost by a huge margin
Edited sentence: A legal battle ensued over whether Conner or Fay had broken the rules or merely skirted the edges of them.The Americans' black letter argument — that there was nothing expressly prohibiting a multihull in the Cup deed — prevailed in the third court.The New Zealanders asked the court to look to the spirit of the deed — their position was based on the fact that the deed provided for a “match” between two yachts, and a multihull against a monohull could not be called a “match” in any sporting sense.The challenge, which was said to be a return to the tradition of the J-boat, used a gigantic yacht named New Zealand (KZ1) or the Big Boat, giving the defenders little time to prepare.The teams were directed by one American court to compete in a farcical race which New Zealand predictably lost by a huge margin