Team D. Conner Joins Swedish Tour (03/01/01)  (source : Sailsail.com)

Team Dennis Conner, representing the New York Yacht Club's Challenge for the 2003 America's Cup, has agreed to compete on the Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour 2001, the world's leading professional sailing series. Competing on the Swedish Match Tour provides Team Dennis Conner the opportunity to practice the same strategy and skills employed in America's Cup competition againist the their likely competitors in their bid to regain the America's Cup.TDC joins several other America's Cup syndicates including the Swedish Victory Challenge, Oracle Racing, Prada and Team NZ who regularly compete on the Tour. "Most of the premier match racing events in the world are on the Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour and most of the top sailors in the world will be competing in these events, including the teams we will be racing against for Americas' Cup 2003. We see it as an important part of our preparations to have our team members racing in these events and we appreciate the Tour welcoming our participation. After competing in the Colorcraft Gold Cup in Bermuda last year I was convinced that competing on the Tour was essential," said Dennis Conner, Chairman of the Stars & Stripes America's Cup 2003 Challenge. Team DC will begin their competitive preparation for the 2003 America's Cup when helmsman Ken Read, competes at the Sun Microsytems Australia Cup in Perth, Australia, March 21-25.

NYCC challenge accepted (12/14/00)  (source : RNZYS)

The challenge from the New York Yacht Club for the 31st America's Cup regatta in Auckland, New Zealand in 2003 has been formally accepted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The Commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Peter Taylor, confirmed the acceptance of the challenge to the Commodore of the New York Yacht Club, George Isdale Jr., in a letter dated 12th December 2000. The number of challengers for the America's Cup grew to four on Thursday with this acceptance.Other challenges accepted so far have come from Italy's Punta Ala Yacht Club, the Seattle Yacht Club of the United States and the Societe Nautique de Geneve of Switzerland. Around 10 challenges are expected to be made by the closing date in March 2001 with the United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France, Australia and Britain all expected to be represented.

NY Times interviewed Dennis Conner (12/04/00)   (source : NY Times)

The four-lane thoroughfare skirting the docks in downtown Newport is called America's Cup Avenue. It's a reminder of a glorious era, when the world's finest sailors regularly jousted for the cup in the nearby waters. Traffic along the road, a bumper-to-bumper crawl on a busy summer weekend, is literally going nowhere fast. But its namesake, at least as far as Newport is concerned, is very likely gone forever. That was one of several revelations put forth last week by the four- time cup winner, Dennis Conner, following a luncheon in Manhattan at the headquarters of the New York Yacht Club. Conner's Stars and Stripes syndicate has aligned with the club to challenge for the cup in New Zealand beginning in the fall of 2002, and the ceremony included an announcement that Computer Associates, the software corporation, had signed on as the primary sponsor to the tune of at least $10 million. In recent years, many Newporters held high hopes that the cup competition would someday return. The New York Yacht Club owns a waterfront mansion in the city. And when the New York team departed for Auckland for last winter's cup event, the idea, had it won, was to return the regatta to Rhode Island Sound. But the club's Young America squad self-destructed and was not a factor during New Zealand's triumphant defense. So would Newport figure in the plans should Stars and Stripes prevail next time? "I can tell you," said Conner, who was at the helm in 1983 when a victorious Australian boat sailed to cup glory, "that's not the deal." In an interview in the quiet oval room whose centerpiece was once the America's Cup — and in the space where some club members called for the native San Diegan's head to replace the vacated trophy once it was gone — Conner said: "We took losing very hard. There'd be some magic if we could return it here 20 years later." There is clearly space reserved for the now well-traveled cup. And while Conner said the ultimate decision about where to stage any potential future event would lie with the club, it was also clear that New York City now had the inside track. "I think this would be the logical place to sail it," he said. "It started here. The water off Sandy Hook is a great place to sail. Can you imagine how the cup would do here based on the Chelsea Piers or Governors Island? Think of all the sponsors, wouldn't they love to come here? Not only ours, but the overseas backers." And in a reference to the most recent cup challenger, Italy's Prada Challenge, he added, "You don't think Prada wouldn't like to come here?" Conner said the basis of his arrangement with the club was simple. "I was willing to give the club what they really wanted, which is the cup, if we win, as well as control of the venue," he said. He also stated that other Northeast sites would be given consideration were he triumphant. "The state of Connecticut is trying to rebuild New London, and the State Piers there would be a wonderful place to have it," he said. "And you could make a good case for Boston and a few other places." The Stars and Stripes team has several Newport connections. Conner's designated helmsman, Ken Read, and the club's incoming commodore, Charles Dana, both live there. The sail trimmer Mike Toppa grew up in Newport where his father, John, is a legendary high school football coach. Both of Conner's new boats will be built at New England Boatworks in nearby Portsmouth. "We have some big attachments there," he said. But the cup's last two stops have been San Diego and Auckland, and Conner implied that the event has probably outgrown the small coastal city. "It's about infrastructure," he said. "Where are the superyachts going to tie up and where are the sponsors and spectators going to stay and be entertained? " When Conner signed with the New York club, it closed a round of back- and-forth negotiations that could have tilted either way. After the dismal, expensive experience with the Young America challenge, not everyone in the club was enamored with the notion of fielding another challenge, nor with Conner spearheading it. "A lot of people that put up a lot of money last time were disappointed," Conner said. "Some of them felt this wasn't the right thing for the club to do. But the club's leadership felt it was. And after a while people believed we'd have a program they could be proud of and they supported their flag officers." More than anyone, Conner knows that if the program sours, it's his head they will seek once again. And while he may not know where the cup will ultimately go, he knows where it currently resides. Before long, he'll be back off to New Zealand to try and retrieve it.

Introducing Stars & Stripes (11/30/00)  (source : Stars-Stripes.com)

At a press conference today at the NYYC, Dennis Conner announced that Computer Associates (CA), the world's leading eBusiness solutions provider, is the main sponsor and technology partner (the team will implement a variety of CA solutions to gather, store, analyze, manage and distribute information during the many stages of the racing program) for Stars & Stripes, his America’s Cup team. According to Team DC director of operations, Bill Trenkle, the deal is worth $10 million in both cash and product. When added to private donations it puts the Conner-led team, which will be mounting its eighth campaign for the Cup, about halfway to its goal of raising at least $30 million for the next campaign. Conner also introduced his crew, which will include Tom Whidden, Conner’s tactician since 1980, Ken Read, his helmsman in 1999-2000, Terry Hutchinson, mainsail trimmer for Paul Cayard’s AmericaOne last time, Mike Toppa, trimmer, and Bill Trenkle (as headsail trimmer), president of Dennis Conner Sports who has raced with Conner in the America’s Cup since 1980. Bill Trenkle said the crew would be comprised of almost two-thirds of the Stars & Stripes crew from the last LVC. During the last Cup challenge, Conner ran the Stars & Stripes program, but he left the sailing to Ken Read and Conner's long-time friend Tom Whidden. This time, Conner is still in charge, but Read will have more influence in the design and construction of the boats, their spars and sails, as well as the crew. One key person who won't return is Peter Holmberg, who served in the afterguard of the last challenge. Although unannounced, it is understood that Holmberg has joined Larry Ellison's Oracle Racing team. "Peter was a great guy to have on our team," said Trenkle. "We're excited to have Terry onboard. He more than makes up for the loss of Holmberg." Despite mounting a one-boat effort in 1999-2000, Conner’s Stars & Stripes finished a close third in the Louis Vuitton Semifinals to Prada and AmericaOne -- both two-boat campaigns. For the forthcoming America’s Cup, Conner will field two boats. Tank-testing will be conducted at the David Taylor Model Basin in MD. Team Dennis Conner also is busy on design work. Reichel Pugh have been testing 26-foot models at the David Taylor Basin in Maryland. Two new boats are planned and will be built at New England Boatworks in Portsmouth, R.I., which built the last Stars & Stripes. Tank-testing will be conducted at the David Taylor Model Basin in MD. The boats won't be launched until early 2002, about eight months before the expected start of the Louis Vuitton Cup. If that seems late, remember that Team DC didn't launch USA-55 until a month before the last LVC, and then almost made it to the finals. The sailmaker will be North, the largest sailmaker in the world. In the previous Cup, North had its sails on 11 of 12 syndicates, including Team New Zealand, the defender, and Prada, the challenger from Italy. Masts and booms will come from Southern Spars, which equipped six of 12 groups last time, including both finalists. Tom Whidden, Conner’s longtime tactician, is president/CEO of North Marine Group, which owns North Sails and Southern Spars.

CAmerica's Cuppers Press Conference (10/25/00)   (source : Bermudagoldcup)

Yesterday, Skippers from most of the confirmed teams for the next America's Cup (Ed Baird, Dean Barker, Dennis Conner, Russell Coutts, Chris Dickson, Peter Gilmour, Andy Green, Chris Larson & James Spithill) attended a "State of the America's Cup" press conference at the Royal Bermuda Yacht. In a relaxed, hour-long genial exchange they traded quips, revealed a few secrets and agreed that the next America's Cup regatta would lift the stature of the event to a new plateau.

Dennis Conner told that he is close to completing an agreement with the New Yorkers to sail under their banner at the next challenge in New Zealand in 2003. Queried if he would challenge next time from the New York Yacht Club, Conner revealed that he wanted to represent New York in Fremantle in 1987 and in Auckland last year. "I've had two unsuccessful bids, you might say, to represent the club," he said. "It would be a nice dream for me to win the Cup and bring it back to New York and the trophy room at the New York Yacht Club. It would be nice closure. While it might be a dream, I would relish the chance for it to be reality."

Briton Andy Green talked about his plans for a British challenge, but admitted he needed a major backer. Green said he and British sailors had spent a great summer sailing that country's two IACC boats in Cowes. "There was a lot of positive feeling, but feeling unfortunately doesn't get you to the America's Cup," he noted wryly. "The British sailing team at the Olympics did an amazing job," he added. "They got three gold medals and two silvers. I'm hoping that will encourage a few people with some serious money to get involved."

Magnus Holmberg from Sweden revealed that he had just signed up to skipper Sweden's Victory Challenge (see article). Holmberg said Argentinian designer German Frers who helped start Italy's Prada Challenge last time would design the Swedish boats.

Peter Holmberg, from the US Virgin Islands, sat at the opposite end of the table from Ed Baird, and like Baird, acknowledged he had no concrete Cup plans.

- NYYC and Conner Formalize Agreement (11/09/00)   (source : NYYC)

George M. Isdale Jr., commodore of the New York Yacht Club (NYYC), announced that the club has completed an agreement with Dennis Conner and his Stars & Stripes team to represent the club in America's Cup XXXI in 2003. The NYYC has also formally challenged the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, the keeper of the Cup. "This is a revival of a long-standing relationship that has existed between Dennis Conner and the New York Yacht Club," said Commodore Isdale. "Major sponsorship and many of the key members of the team are in place allowing Stars & Stripes to move forward. We expect to field a very competitive challenge in New Zealand." Corporate partners will be announced shortly. Dennis Conner is the only four-time winner of the America's Cup. He was starting helmsman and tactician aboard Courageous, the successful defender for the NYYC in 1974. In 1980 he skippered the winning Freedom for the NYYC. He was the first person to lose the America's Cup with Liberty in 1983 and the first to win it back in 1987, with Stars & Stripes. Conner also defended the Cup for the San Diego Yacht Club in 1988. Despite fielding a lean one-boat campaign in 1999-2000 in New Zealand, Conner's team came close to winning the Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Cup. "The place for the Cup is on New York's West 44th Street," said Conner, a NYYC member since 1980. "Twenty years after losing it, I'd love to be the one to win it back." The next America's Cup will be in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2002-2003 The trophy that came to be called the America's Cup was won by America, a NYYC vessel, in 1851 in England. The club retained the trophy for 132 years, or until 1983. During that period, there were 25 defenses. Yachts from the NYYC won 81 of 93 races.

- Dennis Conner plan cup assault (10/16/00)   (source : Sports.com)

After the tycoons' announcements, attention is now riveted on what's happening in NYYC, and how efforts to return the Auld Mug to its Yacht Club are shaping up. There is no urgency in filing the formal challenge to theRNZYC (the deadline for filing the challenge and $150,000 entry fee is not until next March), the Dennis Conner silence was a little bit disturbing.

After months of speculation, Big Bad Dennis monday gived informations about the future Stars & Stripes Challenge for the America's Cup, which includes a two boat campaign (he has committed to Reichel Pugh as the design team) and some top world sailors (Ken Read, Peter Isler and Peter Holmberg).

While other big money teams are out scouting around the world signing up the best crew they can find, Dennis isn't worried about this, "well informally I've talked to the same people that you would expect me to have," he says, "but I'm not going to sign any contracts, because there is no point in it."

Commenting on practicing on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf, he believes his team are getting enough sailing anyway.