December 31, 1999|By Bruce Stannard | Bruce Stannard,SPECIAL TO THE SUN
AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- On the eve of the America's Cup challenger elimination semifinals, Italy's Prada and AmericaOne have surfaced as the syndicates most likely to make it to the finals.
It is no coincidence that these two outfits have outspent everyone in their attempts to win yachting's most coveted prize.
Prada is personally funded by self-made fashion tycoon Patrizio Bertelli to the tune of $50 million, though some reports suggest it may be closer to $80 million. The AmericaOne syndicate from San Francisco's St. Francis Yacht Club is spending at least $32 million.
Both syndicates have two boats. In each case, both have demonstrated outstanding speed and savvy on the racecourse. It will take a major setback to upset either.
Still, these are boat races, and as every sailor knows there's no such thing as a certainty on the water.
The round begins Sunday, with match racing for 10 days. Three races are scheduled each day, and each victory is worth one point.
Meanwhile, the skippers of the six semifinalists were giving away very little yesterday when they met for the draw of the pairings.
Italian skipper Francesco de Angelis confirmed that Prada had chosen its ITA 44 yacht.
"We think it is a boat that will fit the kind of racing we are going to have," de Angelis said.
AmericaOne skipper Paul Cayard was similarly forthcoming.
Though he had indicated earlier that he would enter the syndicate's yet unraced yacht, USA 61, over the boat that got him this far, USA 49, he was noncommittal yesterday.
"We're going to enter what we think is our fastest boat," he said.
The next best contender is Japan's Nippon Challenge. The Japanese are spending $20 million-plus on a two-boat campaign that has surprised and delighted the normally reserved Japanese in notching an impressive string of convincing wins.
The Japanese have been exceedingly clever in securing the professional services of helmsman Peter Gilmour, the reigning world match-racing champion.
Gilmour, a laconic Australian with a deceptively calm demeanor, has shown an almost savage aggression in winning start after start through daring and intimidating tactics in the vital circling maneuvers before the starting gun.
"We've made quite a positive modification to JPN 52, which has seen quite a performance improvement," Gilmour said. "So it's only logical to take your best boat into the semifinal series."
The Japanese boat will be the dark horse in this contest. If either of the two front-runners runs into trouble, it could create an upset.
The three other challengers in the semifinals are all relatively low-budget, one-boat campaigns.
Although no one in Auckland seriously expects too much from them, only a fool would discount the prospects of Dennis Conner, who has been part and parcel of America's Cup history for 30 years.
Conner is spending only $12 million on his one-boat campaign, but Stars and Stripes is fast and is expected to be even faster with its new carbon-fiber mast.
Conner may or may not be on board the boat. He has appointed Ken Read as helmsman, and Read, who is backed up by some of America's most experienced sailors, seems to be able to make the blue boat move out smartly.
Dawn Riley's America True, the San Francisco Yacht Club's challenger, has a $21 million budget, but only one boat. Its racing performances in the early round-robins were less than impressive. It may beat the lightweight French, but no one really expects America True to upset the heavyweight contenders.
France's Le Defi BTT gained the last semifinal berth when America True decided not to contest its final race in the last qualifying round -- a decision that denied the New York Yacht Club's Young America a last chance to advance.
The French have the narrowest boat in Auckland, and their boat is fast only in smooth water and light air. As the Down Under summer wears on, one can expect the Auckland breeze to build and the seas to grow lumpy. This will not help Le Defi.
Much will depend on Auckland's unpredictable weather. The sailors could see a spate of shifty, light air that would spell disaster for the fancied boats, or it could blow as it did last year when the El Nino effect blasted Auckland throughout the summer with severe winds and boisterous seas.
The Italians are an extremely stylish outfit, and they have the best that money can buy. The one thing money can't buy, however, is America's Cup experience, and it is experience that AmericaOne has in abundance.
While this is the Italian syndicate's first time out, Cayard has been in this spot many times. Cayard is second only to Conner in America's Cup exposure, and he has displayed immense talent, not just as a helmsman, but as a tactician, strategist and organizer.
In Auckland, Cayard has pulled together one of the most impressive America's Cup campaigns in 30 years.
"[Our] mood is good," Cayard said. "We're pretty serious. I wouldn't say we were laughing and giggling. We feel we've got some confidence, and we're working hard."
