Yachting: Mind games real test of last men standing

By SUZANNE MCFADDEN

Beware, Prada, of the glazed-over look in Paul Cayard's steely brown eyes.

This America's Cup has entered the psychological warfare phase - the last skipper with his wits intact shall be declared the winner.

The titanic clash of Prada and AmericaOne may well be won by mind games and protests as the last challengers still standing try to out-psych each other at sea and on land.

At sea, there will be the best two boats the 2000-generation challengers could create. The men on both crews have won enough world trophies to sink a ship.

Now intimidation comes into play - in fact, it began last week.

Cayard and his tactical buddy John Kostecki triumphed in a screaming match over Prada's brains, Francesco de Angelis and Torben Grael, leaving the Italians visibly wounded.

Prada replied by dressing up as Pinocchios and taunting Cayard as he returned home from failing to beat Stars & Stripes.

Cayard reckoned he was hurt by their taunts and others' accusations that AmericaOne hadn't tried hard enough to beat Dennis Conner's boys.

It would have injured his cause as much as a mosquito's bite on a bull's rump.

Don't be fooled - Cayard can give as good as he gets. New Zealanders will never forget how he undermined the NZL20 campaign through the all-night bowsprit controversy in 1992.

He learned even more in 1995 with the master of the game, Conner, who bevelled the defender rules to suit his side.

Believe it when Cayard says handling the pressure is often more important than the crew's skill and talent.

Having sailed in the past two cup matches, he has the upper hand.

Stars & Stripes helmsman Kenny Read's parting shot from this regatta was that Cayard was the man to fear - he has more fire in his eyes.

But don't for a moment think that Prada will be intellectual weaklings - or the nice guys.

They have already proved that they will question everything. Prada have a legal team who have been poring over the protocol for more than two years. They will have been rattling through the drawers of AmericaOne, sniffing out the most microscopic grain of dirt.

Prada have already fired the first bullet - originally aimed at Stars & Stripes - which could yet ricochet into AmericaOne's belly.

The Italians have asked the arbitration panel to look at the words in the Deed of Gift which say a challenger cannot race for the America's Cup unless they sign a declaration that they have heeded the rules of the protocol.

It could haunt AmericaOne, who two months ago were found to have broken a nationality clause in the protocol - for failing to declare the dual nationality of a US-German crewman. They were fined $500 for the slip-up.

The panel's answer could clear up the issue, or give Prada a very potent weapon off the water.

Out on the gulf - in just over a week's time - AmericaOne will turn up with their latest weapon, USA61, but who knows which of the two silver bullets Prada will pull from their belt.

USA61 is the most lissome craft of the challenger fleet, the way it wriggles and squirms in a pre-start, then shoots off the startline. Prada's ITA45, the graceful first Luna Rossa, had a little edge in speed over AmericaOne downwind and in the middle wind range.

AmericaOne have a 3-2 advantage in clashes between the pair so far - but one of those was a no-contest when Prada lost a mast.

Who wouldn't be an Italian right now? Here is the showdown between two of their favourite sons - the lanky, gentle-spoken de Angelis and the suave, self-confident Cayard, still a hero for sailing Italy into the '92 cup final.