OneWorld Defeats Stars & Stripes

OneWorld Defeats Stars & Stripes in Light, Shifty and Difficult Conditions

PRESS RELEASE October 7, 2002

ONEWORLD DEFEATS STARS & STRIPES IN LIGHT, SHIFTY AND DIFFICULT CONDITIONS

AUCKLAND, NZ, OCTOBER 7, 2002-A one-second lead at the start turned into a one minute and 21 second loss at the finish as OneWorld, the America’s Cup challenger from Seattle, WA, defeated Team Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes today in light winds that blew from most points of the compass.

Racing on the Hauraki Gulf in the Louis Vuitton Cup series to decide a challenger for the America’s Cup, the New York Yacht Club’ s challenger and her Seattle Yacht Club competition raced on flat seas in winds that never got above nine knots. The southeasterly that powered the racers over the starting line backed steadily throughout the race, blowing from the east and then north, before going northwest at the finish.

Stars & Stripes skipper Ken Read, from Newport, RI, pursued opposing skipper Peter Gilmour from Seattle, WA, aboard OneWorld in the minutes leading up to the start, before starting at speed at the leeward end of the line.

First one boat led and then the other as the fickle breeze puffed, faded and phased though 45 degree shifts either side of the course to the first mark. The Seattle boat cleared away from her competitor half way up the leg to lead by nearly two minutes at the first weather mark.

Stars & Stripes rode one streak of breeze on the spinnaker run to pull within 16 seconds as they turned the mark for the second windward beat but OneWorld covered and extended on most other legs. The New York boat shone again on the last spinnaker run, gaining 3 min. 14 sec.

“Ken and the crew did a great job at the start” said afterguard member Peter Isler, San Diego, CA. “OneWorld wanted the left but we chased them out. After that, it was a lottery with the breeze. OneWorld got some more pressure on the first beat and protected their lead after that. We rode one puff right up to them on the first leeward turning mark but they were able to pull away again.”

Team Dennis Conner, representing the New York Yacht Club, has a 2-3 record in the First Round Robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Tomorrow Stars & Stripes will race against the French challenger Le Dèfi.

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 man was Stars & Stripes supporter Edgar Cato.

Team Dennis Conner and the New York Yacht Club have partnered to put forth the finest team of American designers, sailors, boat builders and shore side support to win America’s Cup XXXI and return the America’s Cup to the United States. The America’s Cup season began today with a four-month challenger elimination series known as the Louis Vuitton Cup. The winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup will challenge Team New Zealand for the right to defend the America ’s Cup in a best of nine series starting on February 15, 2003.

Team Dennis Conner's platinum sponsor, Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE: CA) delivers the software that manages eBusiness. As the world’s third largest enterprise software company, CA provides industry-leading integrated solutions through strategic partnerships and powerful brands such as Unicenter®, BrightStor™, eTrust™, CleverPath™, Advantage™, Jasmine® and AllFusion™. With mission-critical software in security and storage, CA provides reliable, quality technology. For more information, visit www.ca.com.

Gold sponsors of the Team Dennis Conner America's Cup challenge include Citizen Watch Company (www.citizenwatch.com), proud maker of the new Eco-Drive Sailhawk, the official Stars & Stripes team watch, the ACE Group of Companies (www.acelimited.com), a premier global insurance and reinsurance organization and Airgas, Inc. (www.airgas.com), the largest U.S. distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases, welding, safety and related products. With an integrated network of nearly 800 locations nationwide--including branches, retail stores, gas fill plants, specialty gas labs, production facilities and distribution centers--Airgas' national scale and strong local presence offer customers a competitive advantage

Team Dennis Conner’s Silver sponsors are Nautica (www.nautica.com), the team’s official apparel sponsor and a leading global fashion and lifestyle company with products ranging from men's, women's and children's sportswear, denim and accessories to a complete home collection and Manugistics (www.manugistics.com), a leading software company that provides comprehensive solutions which enable companies to share inventory, pricing and planning information with customers and suppliers over the Internet.

Team Dennis Conner’s Suppliers are 3M, Air New Zealand, Airgas, Airtech, APL Limited, Arc Second, Bathysphere Digital Media Services, Columbus Line, Digi International, Dupont, Earth Tech, Itronix, Lewmar Marine, McLube, Media Bin, Munters, Nautica Eyewear, New England Ropes, Newport Adhesives & Composites, OmniSonics Medical, Pacer Technologies, Parker, Plastimo, Protector, Remy Amerique, Saucony, WiTango and Xygent.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://www.stars-stripes.com

© Scoop Media