GBR win a point

After nearly failing to turn up on start line

Keith Taylor reports from the Team Dennis Conner camp

The San Francisco-based America’s Cup challenger USA-76 won her match today against Team Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes in classic racing conditions on the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland, New Zealand.

The San Francisco boat from the Golden Gate Yacht Club parlayed a one-second lead and faster acceleration off the starting line into an early lead over the New York Yacht Club’s challenger.

Stars & Stripes skipper Ken Read, positioned Stars & Stripes to establish a lee bow advantage over his opponent as both boats crossed the leeward end of the starting line on starboard tack. USA-76 helmsman Peter Holmberg had his charge moving faster at the gun and within minutes had rolled over the New York boat, forcing it to tack away. Clear ahead, and able to play the shifty 16-20 knot southerly breeze with impunity, USA-76 extended on most legs except the last two spinnaker runs. The margin at the finish was one minute 58 seconds.

Team Dennis Conner, representing the New York Yacht Club, has a 2-2 record in the First Round Robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Tomorrow Stars & Stripes will race against the American challenger OneWorld.

The crew of Stars & Stripes today was: Vince Brun, Wally Henry, Peter Isler, and Bill Trenkle, from San Diego, CA; Chuck Brown, Jerry Kirby, Rob Myles, Ken Read and Tony Rey, from Newport, RI; Chris Kam, Stonington, CT; Rock Ferrigno, Fairfield, CT; Tom Whidden, Essex, CT; Mike Toppa, Fort Lauderdale, FL; Dave Calverley, Tampa, FL; Larry Mialik, Madison, WI and Terry Hutchinson, Annapolis, MD. The 17th crew was Daintry Conner.