Conner Plans to Bring Rival Into Whitbread

SAN DIEGO —  Dennis Conner hopes to build his 1993-94 Whitbread Round-the-World campaign in alliance with an historic sailing enemy, New Zealand, and a bitter rival, designer Bruce Farr.

Conner announced Thursday that the boat--to be named Stars & Stripes, like his recent America’s Cup boats--might be built in New Zealand, that he intends to talk to Farr about designing it, and that he hopes to have Brad Butterworth, backup tactician for the Kiwis, in a key role.

The Whitbread is a 31,975-nautical mile race for maxi class and new, smaller 60-foot boats. Conner plans to have a 60-footer that, he said, “has a legitimate chance of being first to finish.”

Whitbread officials are placing restictions on the smaller class to avert that embarrassing possibility.

The Annapolis-based Farr and associate Russell Bowler have designed all of New Zealand’s America’s Cup boats, as well as the country’s first- and second-place finishers, Steinlager 2 and Fisher & Paykel, in the ‘89-90 Whitbread.

But Farr has had some high-profile confrontations with Conner. At Fremantle, Australia in ‘86, Conner suggested the Kiwis were cheating by building their 12-meters out of fiberglass instead of aluminum, like everybody else.

At San Diego in ‘88, after Conner had twice trounced New Zealand’s 132-foot monohull with a 60-foot catamaran, he said, “We sailed the cat . . . somebody else sailed the dog,” and insulted Farr personally on the dais after the final press conference.

Conner said he didn’t think past differences would be a problem.

“We haven’t decided on the designers,” he said. “We have a lot of confidence in the Stars & Stripes design team, but we also have a tremendous amount of respect for Bruce Farr and his capacity in this race, and we’d be silly not to talk to Bruce.

“He doesn’t even know I’m interested in this, as far as I know. . . . I think Bruce Farr is a talented designer and a good businessman. If it’s in Bruce Farr’s best interest to work with us--and I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t be--then I think he’ll talk to us.”

The boat could be built in New Zealand, Conner said, where “you get a lot of boat for your money.”

Conner also said the crew hadn’t been determined, but the projected $8 million campaign would be based in New York City and sponsored by the USA Yacht Club, which was organized two years ago by former America’s Cup competitor Tony Parker.

“It’s truly a national yacht club,” Conner said, that while lacking its own facility welcomes supporting memberships “for everyone who would like to participate. Membership will be marketed throughout the land.”

The nine-month race will start on Sept. 25, 1993, with stopovers in Punta del Este, Uruguay; Fremantle, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand, and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Conner said, “We haven’t decided who will go in the actual race.”

One leg of the course crosses the Southern Ocean bordering Anarctica, where icebergs are a hazard. Stars & Stripes tactician Tom Whidden said he had never seen an iceberg.

“No, and I don’t want to see one,” he said.

Conner said, “I don’t, either. At this point I do plan to sail on several of the legs . . . probably the legs that have the lighter wind and are a little more interesting for me. The first and fifth legs--especially the one from Punta del Este to Ft. Lauderdale--would be the best ones.”

Conner said the five Whitbreads have had no American entries.