Conner's cannon says I'm back!

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

Dennis Conner blasted his cannon four times across the Auckland waterfront yesterday to signal that he is alive and well in the America's Cup.

As the victorious midnight-blue Stars & Stripes boat pulled up to the dock outside the Team Dennis Conner base, the undisputed King of Cup Comebacks fired the cannon he keeps in his office to salute his startled crew.

Stars & Stripes is the only unbeaten boat after the first two races of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series, after beating the top two seeds Nippon and Prada on successive days.

Conner has had his critics in this cup - doubters who said he was not as serious this time, with only one boat, built late. If the challenger series had had a four-boat semifinal - like most world sports events - Stars & Stripes would have been back home now. Conner's crew qualified fifth for the six-boat series.

He rarely sails on the boat, spending his days dialling for dollars for his campaign. But he is on board in spirit, and delivered an inspirational speech to his troops before the semifinal series began.

"Even though he's not on the boat, his will permeates the camp," said navigator Peter Isler.

"We had a little gathering and he painted a picture as only Dennis Conner can. When he speaks, it's worth listening ... He told us to 'Go get 'em'."

Conner, on land entertaining VIPs yesterday, furthered his legendary status in 1995, when he fought back twice from the verge of elimination to sail against Team New Zealand in the cup match.

Sailing as the 17th man observer on board Stars & Stripes in their upset victory yesterday was American Jim Clark, founder of Internet giant Netscape.

Said Isler: "We asked him what he would tell his people back home about his day and he said: 'Teamwork.'"