Yachting: Conner's hopes take a dunking

By SUZANNE MCFADDEN

Dennis Conner's chances of racing for the America's Cup took a dive last night when his Stars & Stripes challenge were stripped of a point for using an illegal rudder.

Suggestions that Conner's team could be expelled from the event for breaching cup protocol were dispelled when the international jury's decision came around 8pm.

It was almost the result wanted by Nippon - who launched the protest when they discovered Stars & Stripes had used a rudder made in Australia in their first clash of the semifinals a week ago.

But now the Japanese syndicate would like the point that was taken off Team DC added to their tally.

It was a day of extremes for Stars & Stripes - thrilled to beat Nippon on the water by a mere 10s, but then knocked backwards by the jury.

But Stars & Stripes tactician and rules expert Tom Whidden last night admitted he thought it was a fair decision.

"We screwed up, so we were at their mercy. There was no significant advantage from using this rudder," he said.

Earlier in the morning, Whidden had addressed the arbitration panel, who were asked by the jury to determine if Stars & Stripes had broken the rules.

"If you find against us, we're dead," Whidden told the five panellists. New Zealand High Court judge Sir David Tompkins and Master John Anthony Faire are among the five panel members.

The panel, who met for over two hours at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, found that Team Dennis Conner had breached the protocol by using a rudder manufactured or constructed in Australia. The rules say appendages must be made in the syndicate's own country, or here in New Zealand during the regatta.

Jury chairman Bryan Willis said they felt it was a "very serious" breach, but using the rudder in that one race had no significance on the outcome of the race.

Nippon do not agree, and said last night it would ask for the issue to be reopened. But they will have to prove they have new evidence or that the jury erred before the jury will listen.

Stars & Stripes skipper Ken Read said the ruling was "a shame" as they thought they were in the right.

"We needed a rudder and that's where we could get one for the best price and the quickest delivery. That's the way we do things at Team DC," he said.

"Obviously it's a shame for the programme, but we're not going to crumble - we're going to keep coming back."

Stars & Stripes fell from second to third of the six semifinals with their points deduction.