America’s Cup : Experts Tab Kiwis and Kookabura III as the Finalists

Dennis Conner should decide whether he wants to sell draperies or win back the America’s Cup.

So says a panel of experts, which believes that Conner and Alan Bond, the central figures in 1983, will only be spectators for the climax of the current competition at Fremantle, Australia.

The panel, organized by Data General of Australia to evaluate the contenders, not only favors New Zealand’s upstart effort to wrest the cup from Australia but believes that Bond’s Australia IV won’t even get a chance to defend it. The golden-hulled Kookaburra III is dominating the defense matches.

The experts included ’83 winning skipper John Bertrand, former Australian America’s Cup skipper Jock Sturrock, Canadian designer Bruce Kirby, veteran tactician Gary Jobson and several other sailing notables.

They were particularly critical of Conner’s absences during the breaks. The San Diego skipper returned home between challenger rounds for the second time to attend to his drapery business and Sail America syndicate fund-raising efforts.

“Though Conner is still clearly the most skilled and experienced helmsman in Fremantle, his absence has been reflected in low ratings in the categories of motivation, team spirit and overall administration,” Sturrock said. “This has been reflected in errors on the course.”

Jobson, the analyst for ESPN, said in Long Beach Sunday: “Every boat undergoes modifications (between rounds) because they’re trying to get better and the conditions are changing. You do that based on experience.”

Jobson suggested that Sail America missed Conner’s input after the first round.

“(Conner) was the only skipper to leave town during those critical periods, (and) the only boat that failed to improve from the first round to the second was Stars & Stripes.”

Conner could not be reached for comment.

America’s Cup Notes

Heart of America skipper Buddy Melges has three stitches in his elbow. He fell off his bike when a car door slammed into it. “We’re going to buy him training wheels,” says a team spokesman. . . . Members of the international jury overseeing the America’s Cup defender series are getting tired of protests that last until the early hours of the morning. Jury chairman Graeme Owens says having the protest hearing 24 hours after the race is giving crews more time to prepare long and involved cases. “We might have to consider having the protest hearings on the same day, even though most hearings would not be able to start until at least 8:30 p.m.,” he said. . . . The jury’s latest decision was to disqualify Kookaburra II from its victory over Australia IV, moving the latter back into second place at the end of two rounds.