Kookaburra III’s Unusual Win: Race With No Protests

FREMANTLE, Australia — The Australian defender candidates sailed a very unusual (for them) boat race Thursday.

It was over when it was over.

No collisions, no red protest flags, no tedious hearings droning on into morning. Everyone had a marvelous time, except perhaps the boys on Australia IV, who were 1 minute 34 seconds behind Kookaburra III at the end.

Kookaburra III’s Peter Gilmour, glancing at adversary Colin Beashel, said: “After having spent much of the night until 3 a.m. in the protest room, we entered the pre-start very wary of each other--and went away with an even start.”

Both boats had been disqualified for pre-start fouls in the opening match of their best-of-nine America’s Cup defender final Wednesday, but Beashel, on instructions from syndicate boss Alan Bond, kept his distance before the start Thursday, merely leading Gilmour through some lazy maneuvers in the 10-minute sequence before the gun.

Afterward, Iain Murray took over the helm from start specialist Gilmour and powered Kookaburra III through the chop and winds of 15 to 25 knots to a dominating victory.

It was the first time in the last six races between the two boats that no protests had been filed.

“The number of man-hours we wasted just sailing around the course (Wednesday) is incredible,” Gilmour said. “We want to have a result on the water.”

The only anxious moment aboard Kookaburra III occurred five minutes from the finish when a mechanical problem caused the mainsail to droop and flap the rest of the way home. Even so, Australia IV didn’t seem to close any distance.

As in Wednesday’s nonrace, Kookaburra III demonstrated superiority upwind, gaining 1:55 on the four weather legs, leaving observers to wonder why the Kooka camp so loves to mix it up when it can win on boat speed.

Gilmour, 26, showed when he was steering Kookaburra II in the previous series that he was far more aggressive than Murray.

Flanked by Kookaburra chief Kevin Parry, with Bond also present, Gilmour said: “We certainly don’t go into the start trying to create a foul. We try to gain an advantage at the gun. I don’t know about being more aggressive, but I don’t like to lose a start.

“Certainly, the reason for mixing it up is the whole reason why Kevin and Alan got together over the last weekend. We are really trying to produce the very best for Australia, the toughest competitor to go forward to meet the challenger.

“It might be difficult to understand from our perspective, but that’s how we go about it. We think there is a lot of merit in trying very hard at the start and right around the whole race course.”

Bond, who thought he’d reached a truce with the Kookas, didn’t buy that.

“I think the comments made by Iain (Murray) the other day that there’d be blood on the water (and) that there’d be collisions was the wrong attitude in which to leave the discussion the (Royal Perth) yacht club and Kevin and I had,” Bond said.

“I don’t think that’s what this series is all about. We took the view that we wanted to race the boat and have the race decided on the water, and instructions were given accordingly.

“I had hoped that would prevail through the rest of the series because I think the jury and half the public are fed up with collisions. With the skill that these helmsmen have, they should be able to avoid collisions.

“That indicates to me that there is an element of aggression that is not necessary to produce the best defender. If we can look at this race today and see what a very good sporting race it was, how clean cut it was, we’re gonna get there quicker. We don’t have time for races that are not races.”

Parry, more of a bulldog, responded: “I agree in principle, (but) I don’t think we’re gonna achieve the best defender by being Goody Two-Shoes out there.

“We want to get into a good match race and not have to worry about what happened before the start, but that will not alter what’s going to happen before the start.

“If our people have a protestable incident before the start, they have instructions just to stay behind the other boat and not get involved in another incident where they could get thrown out, too.”