AMERICA’S CUP NOTEBOOK / RICH ROBERTS : Age of Russia Pressing for Recognition

A representative of the Age of Russia team said Monday that if the rival Red Star ’92 boat fails to arrive in time, Age of Russia should receive recognition as the valid America’s Cup challenger by default.

The Age of Russia boat arrived in San Diego Dec. 27, and the crew has been working around the clock to have it ready for measurement by the Jan. 15 deadline. The Louis Vuitton Cup challenger trials start Jan. 25.

“They are determined to finish by the 15th,” Marina Kopel said.

The America’s Cup Organizing Committee has recognized only the Red Star ’92 team which, according to its U.S. representative, Tom Griffin of Baltimore, is still scheduled to fly its boat to San Diego this Friday.

“If they’re not here by the 15th they will be disqualified,” Marina Kopel said, “and we will become the challenger.”

Not necessarily, said Tom Ehman, executive vice president of the ACOC.

“The Ocean Racing Club of Leningrad makes that decision,” Ehman said.

Meanwhile, the ACOC received a copy of a letter from a “V. Martyeno,” purporting to be manager of the St. Petersburg Russian Yacht Club, that the Russian Federation and Russian Supreme Soviet had “assigned the right to participate . . . to the St. Petersburg (club).”

The ACOC explained again Monday that “challenges . . . must be made by yacht clubs, not governments.”

The challengers’ two heavyweights--Italy and New Zealand--may not match their campaign boats before the trials.

The fifth Il Moro di Venezia boat, which lost its rudder in Sunday’s storm, is ready to sail when the challengers resume practice races off Point Loma today, but skipper Paul Cayard indicated the Italians would keep to themselves.

“We’re still getting a feel for number five,” Cayard said. “We may check in one day, but we don’t know yet.”

Il Moro did not participate when New Zealand’s new boat won Saturday’s shortened light-air race by more than three minutes, but Cayard said they could gauge the Kiwis’ speed by past relative performances among themselves, the French and the Australians.

In fact, Cayard said, a spirited duel with Ville de Paris last week may have led to Sunday’s problem.

“We were racing the French in good breezes and spinning it around pretty good,” Cayard said. “I may have fractured (the rudder) then.”

The rudder broke in strong winds and rough seas, then fell off as the Italians were sailing back into the bay, forcing the crew to temporarily maintain control by using the spinnaker pole.

The rudder was replaced and tested under sail Monday.