Yachting: Grand old yachtie drops by

By Suzanne McFadden

Ninety-one-year-old Olin Stephens, a true legend of the America's Cup, stepped off a plane from the east coast of America yesterday and went out on the Hauraki Gulf for eight hours.

The man who designed the first of his six winning Cup boats more than 60 years ago, wanted to see the two black Young America yachts, which he also helped to create.

He liked what he saw - but he isn't totally sold on these very light, very fast America's Cup boats.

Stephens is one of the great men of America's Cup history.

From Harold Vanderbilt's Ranger in 1937 through to Dennis Conner's Freedom in 1980, he ruled the 12-metre era.

And he still has wisdom to offer. Young America skipper Ed Baird said Stephens had sat in on design meetings for the new boats and "thrown out a couple of little design pearls."

From the comfort of Young America's tender, Stephens watched the boats practise on the gulf until just before dark yesterday.

"They are so different from the boats I knew best. I was apparently always able to make a rather heavy boat perform well," he said.

"The boats today are so much lighter and, by virtue, that much faster. I wouldn't want to go very far out to sea in one.

"Frankly I expected the boats designed for New Zealand to be built stronger than the ones which raced in San Diego.

"But from what I have heard, these Cup boats are pretty fragile. It's very much against the tradition of the America's Cup."

Stephens is still sprightly, sailing on Young America's trial horse yachts off Newport, Rhode Island, earlier this year.

"But at 91, I'm not so quick around the boat these days. I enjoyed it, but I had to hang on tight," he said.

"There's much less to hold on to these days, and further to fall."

Although he gave up full-time designing 20 years ago, Stephens today works on computerised design programmes.

"I'm still figuring out what a computer can do - a 10-year-old knows more than me," he laughed.

His passion nowadays is rating rules for offshore boats - he is on his way to Sydney this weekend to discuss the worldwide rules, especially in the wake of the Sydney-Hobart race disaster.

Stephens rates his best America's Cup boat as Intrepid, a radical 12m which defended the Cup in 1967 and 1970.

His favourite skipper was Bus Mosbacher, who drove Intrepid.

And Stephens has definite opinions about the Cup today.

"I'm just a dinosaur, but I don't like sponsorship. I think TV has made the America's Cup, but it has spoiled sailing," he said.

Yet Stephens has to admit that he may be watching the Cup match on the box at home in New Hampshire.

"To be perfectly candid, you learn more about the racing on TV than you do out on the water."