stars and stripes 12 meter yacht

• Meet the ITMA Team
• Class Rules
• Class By-Laws
• 12mR Database
• Measurement Certificates
• The 12mR Class by Luigi Lang & Dyer Jones- Volume 1
• The 12mR Class by Luigi Lang & Dyer Jones- Volume 2
• 2024 PORQUEROLLES
• 2023 NEWPORT
• 2021 HELSINKI
• 2019 NEWPORT
• 2014 BARCELONA
• 2011 FLENSBURG
• WORLD CHAMPIONS
• 2017-2019 Series
• 2021 Regattas
• 2020 Regattas
• 2019 Regattas
• 2018 Regattas
• 2017 Regattas
• 2016 Regattas
• 2015 Regattas
• 2014 Regattas
• 2013 Regattas
• 2012 Regattas
• 2011 Regattas
• AMERICAS FLEET
• NORTHERN EUROPE FLEET
• SOUTHERN EUROPE FLEET
• Americas Fleet
• N. Europe Fleet
• S. Europe Fleet
• Coupe de France Series
• AZZURRA III (I-10)
• CRUSADER (K-24)
• LEGACY (KZ-5)
• VANITY V (K-5)
• VICTORY ’83 (K-22)
• WINGS (K-15)
• 12mRs for Charter
• 12mR Brand Guide
• 12mR Team Store

Stars & Stripes ’87, US-55

Built in 1986 according to the International Third Rule- America’s Cup.

12 METRE RACING

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

STARS & STRIPES (US-56)

Length: 20.12 Metres (66 Feet)

Beam: 3.66 Metres (12 Feet)

Draft: 2.75 Metres (9 Feet)

Sail: 167 Sq. Metres (1797 Sq. Feet)

THE HISTORY

Designed by Britt Chance, David Pedrick and Bruce Nelson, Stars & Stripes 86 was built in 1986 by Robert E. Derektor Inc.

Stars & Stripes 86 (US 56) was the third iteration of the Stars & Stripes series of challengers developed for the historic 1987 America’s Cup. She was purpose-built for the challenging sailing conditions found in Fremantle, Australia.

Stars & Stripes 86 was purchased by Colin Percy, founder of the St. Maarten 12 Metre Regatta, in August, 1995. An immediate move was planned to bring her to Sint Maarten for refurbishing in time for the ’95-’96 season. However, two weeks later Hurricane Luis changed those plans in a dramatic way, and priority was redirected to rebuilding our premises and repairing our other four boats! Stars & Stripes 86 eventually joined the fleet in January, 1996.

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Conservation and Philanthropy
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• BOATPro Home
• Superyacht Insight
• Global Order Book
• Premium Content
• Product Features
• Testimonials
• Pricing Plan
• Tenders & Equipment

Where are they now? 6 famous America's Cup yachts

1851 schooner america’s sad demise.

In 1851, the schooner America , sailing for the New York Yacht Club, beat the Royal Yacht Squadron and laid claim to its 100 Guinea Cup. Thus the America’s Cup was born – what is now the oldest trophy in international sport – earning its name from that first winning yacht rather than the country, though the US did go on to hold the trophy for 100 years.

Where is America's Cup yacht  America now?

The famous America's cup yacht America changed hands – and names – a few times after the first historic race, and then wound up in the American Civil War as a Union ship. She stayed in the military as a training ship for the Navy until 1873, when she was sold to a former Civil War General for $5,000 (about $98,000 today). The general raced, maintained and refitted the boat, but after his death in 1893, she was passed down to his son who lacked interest in the schooner and allowed her to fall into disrepair. Despite being eventually donated back to the Navy, lack of maintenance left her seriously decayed. The nail was driven into the coffin when a major snowstorm caused the shed she was stored in to collapse in 1945, and America was scrapped and burned, bringing the history of one of the most famous sailing yachts of all times to a close.

America ’s legacy lives on to do this day, and there are replicas of the schooner you can sail on to relive the glory of this historic vessel. Climb aboard the 32 metre America 2.0 replica (pictured in the inset above) in Key West (November-April) and New York (May-October), or on a 42 metre replica out in San Diego .

1930 Shamrock V is still sailing

J Class yachts are synonymous with the America’s Cup as these slim, graceful beauties once represented the fleet racing for the Cup. The 36.42 metre Shamrock V , commissioned by Sir Thomas Lipton for his fifth and final bid, she was the first J Class yacht to compete for the Cup. The fact that she is the only J Class yacht to be built in wood makes it all the more remarkable that Shamrock V is still floating today.

Where is America's Cup yacht  Shamrock V now?

The Camper & Nicholsons -built J is in pretty perfect condition for a lady of her years. J Class yacht  Shamrock V is currently for sale and looking for a good home. The right owner could sail away on this piece of Cup history just in time as the  J Class yachts make a triumphant return to the America's Cup .

1987 movie star Stars & Stripes still racing

While the film Wind , one of the best boat movies , was inspired by Dennis Conner’s experience competing for the America’s Cup in 1983 on board Liberty , the yacht that was actually used in filming was the 12 Metre type sailing yacht Stars & Stripes 87 . She was called Geronimo in the film, but Stars & Stripes 87 was more than a screen legend. When Conner launched his own campaign, he wanted a culmination of all the Stars & Stripes yachts that came before her, and she was designed to be fast in heavy air. Stars & Stripes 87 wound up being the final 12 metre yacht to win the America’s Cup.

Where is the America's Cup yacht  Stars & Stripes 87 now?

Stars & Stripes 87 can be found in the Caribbean now, able to be sailed with the St Maarten 12 Metre Challenge , giving you a chance to take the helm (if you're lucky) of a real Cup winner.

1988 Stars & Stripes multihulls

Paving the way for the high-performance multihull America's Cup yachts that are redefining the competition is  Stars & Stripes – the catamaran. The first America's Cup multihull yacht, the US team's Stars & Stripes came to be by a cunning interpretation of the Deed of Gift, which only stipulated the challenging yachts be single masted and no more than 90 feet LWL. The result was anything but a true match race, with the much faster, wing-masted multihull Stars & Stripes winning the Cup in 1988.

Where are the America's Cup multihull yachts Stars & Stripes now?

Two versions of the multihull Stars & Stripes were built, a soft sail (S1) and a wing-masted yacht (H3). Stars & Stripes (S1) was acquired by American entrepreneur Steve Fossett and used to set speed records around the world before being sold in 2017 to Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages in Key Largo, where she is used for day charters and racing. The actual Cup player, Stars & Stripes (H3) was bought by Mark Reece in Naples, Florida and was used for sailing charter trips, but her current status is unconfirmed.

1994 Stars & Stripes once used as a training yacht by Oracle Team USA

America’s Cup yacht Stars & Stripes (sail number 34) is probably most famous for not winning a Cup. It wasn’t because she didn’t perform under pressure, but because she never got the chance. While the 24 metre yacht, designed by David Peddic and built in 1994 by Goetz Boat Works, won the right to defend the Cup, Dennis Conner chose Young America (US 36) over Stars & Stripes . The new choice was no match for Team New Zealand’s Black Magic , which beat out Team Dennis Conner four times in a row.

Where is America's Cup yachts Stars & Stripes (US 34) now?

Famed America’s Cup Stars & Stripes (US 34) is earning a chance to prove herself on the racecourse yet again. She sails out of Chicago, racing against Abracadabra (US 54). After failing to win the Cup in 2000, this iteration of Abracadabra was bought by Larry Ellison, who used her as a training boat for his Oracle Team USA.

2003 USA 76 still sailing in San Francisco Bay

Sailed by the US challenging team in preparations for the 2003 America’s Cup in Auckland, New Zealand, USA 76 never made it to the Cup, but she came quite close. Making it to the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup final, USA 76 faced the Swiss Team Alinghi but didn’t come out on top. So the US team arranged for a “rematch” against Alinghi, with two races set in San Francisco Bay. While it didn’t change the results of the Cup, this time USA 76 bested the Swiss competitors twice over.

Where is America’s Cup yacht USA 76 now?

Fittingly, USA 76 resides in San Francisco Bay and is available for sailing. Capture the spirit of the most recent America’s Cup that was raced in the natural amphitheatre of the Bay by climbing aboard USA 76 for a racing adventure under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Sponsored listings

Follow In My Wake: Dennis Connor And Stars & Stripes 1987 Change America’s Cup Racing Forever

While visiting Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, I had a chance to sail on Stars & Stripes 1987, the 12 Meter yacht that played such an important part in America’s Cup history. The story begins in Newport, Rhode Island. 24 times, the fastest yachts in the world converged on Newport, determined to win the America’s Cup. 24 times, they sailed for home disappointed.

The Famous Winged Keel Controversy

In September of 1983, a team from Perth, Australia, brought their innovative yacht, Australia II, to Newport. Australia II was the first boat ever to have a so-called “winged keel.” It featured two surfaces jutting out from the bottom of the keel, one on each side. And it was fast.  The New York Yacht, custodians of the Cup for more than 100 years, insisted that keel was illegal. Before every race, they filed a protest and every time the official measurer declared the boat complied with every jot and title of the rules.

Liberty, the American defender, was skippered by Dennis Connor and was noticeably slower than the challenger. Only by superior tactics and skill was Connor able to compete with the Aussie boat. At the end of 6 races, the series was tied — 3 wins apiece.

Going Off On A Flyer

America’s Cup competition is match racing — two boats, one course. First to cross the finish line wins. No tears. There is one cardinal rule in match racing. The boat ahead sticks like glue to the boat behind. Wherever it goes, the leader goes.

There is an old expression in sailing: We cannot control the wind. All we can do is adjust our sails. Wind is not a constant thing — it comes first from one direction, than a few seconds later from another. If you allow the boat behind to sail off all alone, it might find better wind somewhere else. That’s why a seasoned match racer never, ever, under any circumstances, lets the trailing boat get away.

In the seventh race, Liberty had a commanding lead rounding the next to last mark. The wind that day was light and flukey. In a desperate search for a stronger breeze, Connor decided to sail off in the general direction of Portugal. Australia II sailed straight for the last mark. When the boats came together, Liberty’s lead had evaporated and it found itself over two minutes behind.

The Man Who Lost The Cup

Connor immediately became “the man who lost the Cup.” He was shamed throughout yachting circles and vilified wherever he went. Some believe he lost the last race deliberately so control of the America’s Cup would be wrested away from the New York Yacht Club.

It was well known that Connor and the NYYC despised each other. Connor had many innovative ideas about how the America’s Cup competition should evolve in the future. The NYYC wanted no part of any such frippery and tomfoolery.

Undaunted, Connor immediately set about organizing a challenge to recover the Cup based at the San Diego Yacht Club. 4 years later, he went to Australia with Stars Stripes 1987, the 55th 12 Meter yacht ever built. It was designed specifically for the heavy seas and high winds found in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxJOnDlz9tE

A Triumph For Dennis Connor

But before it could challenge for the Cup, it needed to win the challengers series against boats from other countries. Eventually it came down to two — Stars & Stripes 1987 and KZ 5, the challenger from New Zealand. In the final and deciding race, Connor was leading when the genoa jib on Stars & Stripes exploded. As Connor’s crew struggled to replace the jib, KZ 5 sailed on by, certain that victory was theirs.

Unbelievably, Connor maneuvered his crippled boat with such expertise that he surprised the Kiwis at the final mark and went on to win the race and the right to challenge for the America’s Cup. The series itself was anti-climactic. Connor and Stars & Stripes bludgeoned the Australians into submission, taking 4 races in a row to bring the Cup back to the US.

As a young man who grew up sailing on Narragansett Bay, I followed America’s Cup racing passionately. In the days before DVR’s, I was the only person I knew who stayed up until 3 am to watch the races live from Australia. When Connor and Stars & Stripes paraded back into the harbor after reclaiming the Cup I was ecstatic, although I never quite forgave Connor for losing it i in the first place.

Gary Jobson, a renowned America’s Cup sailor in his own right, said after the series , “The Stars & Stripes campaign of 1986-87 was the triumph of Dennis Conner. The events of 1983 were crushing. Dennis was hurt and vilified. He was made the scapegoat. To win after going through that was the story.”

The Sailing World Shifts On Its Axis

What happened next was the stuff upon which legends are built. Michael Fay, a wealthy industrialist from New Zealand, issued a challenge to the San Diego Yacht Club to contest for the Cup the following year. Ordinarily, the Cup races were scheduled 3 to 4 years apart. 21 syndicates had made their intentions known to compete in 1991, but Fay took his challenge to the New York Supreme Court which interpreted the original Deed of Gift to the New York Yacht Club in Fay’s favor.

The Deed specified only that the boats would have but one mast and be not more than 90 feet in length. Fay announced his challenger would be 90 feet long with one single mast. In fact, he already had the boat built and ready to race.

Connor and the SDYC were caught flat footed. They had no such boat ready and could not design and build one in time. But Connor, the wily strategist, had an answer. The San Diego defender would be a catamaran. Strictly speaking, it complied with the strict terms of the Deed of Gift.

Multi-hull Boats Rule The Seas

Connor beat the Kiwi boat and the era of multi-hull racing had come to America’s Cup competition. Today, as this is being written, catamarans representing Sweden and New Zealand will face each other for the right to challenge Team USA in the 2017 round of the competition. The old 12 Meter yachts had a maximum hull speed of about 17 knots on a windy day. Today’s boats are more like jet fighters than sailboats and can reach speeds of 50 knots.

The racing is exciting, intense, edge of your seat, stuff. And it exists because Dennis Connor went to Perth with Twelve Meter 55 — Stars & Stripes 1987 — and brought the Cup home in convincing style.

Standing In The Shadow Of Dennis Connor

I was thinking of all that history as I took the helm of 12 Meter 55 out of Harbor Town and sailed under reef through the waters of the Intercoastal Waterway. I stood where Dennis Connor stood. Put my hands on the wheel just as Connor had 40 years ago. The rest of the people on board were just tourists with no idea that the boat they were sailing on had once been a vital part of America’s Cup history.

But I knew. I could feel the energy field that still envelopes Stars & Stripes 1987. It’s there if you understand the history of the vessel and grew up steeped in America’s Cup lore. And while I sailed, I was channeling Jimmy Buffett: “ Follow in my wake, there’s not that much at stake; for I have calmed the seas and smoothed the troubled waters…..”

I was sitting in a dentist’s chair in 1978, listening to a live broadcast of the race on the radio. When Connor sailed off toward the horizon and let the Aussies cruise home to victory, I almost bit the drill in half in anger and frustration. But now I have felt the aura of Dennis Connor and I just want to say, “Dennis, I forgive you.”

Everything Old Is New Again

There is a codicil to this story. The Herreshoff brothers, Nathiel and John, designed and built a number of America’s Cup defenders at their boatyard in Bristol, Rhode Island. Hanging from the rafters in the Herreshoff Museum is a strange craft. It looks like a wooden pancake straddling two kayaks. It was built in 1898 and submitted to the New York Yacht Club as a potential America’s Cup defender.

The NYYC promptly ruled the design ineligible because it would too fast ! The Herreshoffs, like Dennis Connor, were way ahead of their time.

• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

About The Author

Steve Hanley

Related posts.

World’s Best Sustainable Hotel Is…

Paddle Wheel History At The Florida Maritime Museum

Marijuana Tourism In Colorado

A Milford Connecticut Home Exchange

Connecticut’s Thimble Islands

Charlotte Is America’s Motor Sports Capitol

Award Winning British Colombia

2015 Arizona Travel Guide Available Now

Leave a comment.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

AMERICA’S CUP 1987 : Conner’s Crew on Stars and Stripes ’87 Is American Pie

• Copy Link URL Copied!

America’s Cup crews come in all sizes and shapes. With all the jobs on a 12-meter sailboat, one size does not fit all.

Scott Vogel, the bowman and boat captain on Stars & Stripes ‘87, is 5-8 and 165.

Kyle Smith, a grinder, is 6-5 and 240.

Dennis Conner is . . . expansive.

But there are more subtle differences among the sailors, too. The challenging boat officially represents the San Diego Yacht Club but, in spirit, spans a cross-section of America. There are Southern drawls, New Yawkese, and the Rs misplaced in New England are recovered in California.

Every soul at sea has his own story, and as the Stars & Stripes crew prepared to meet Kookaburra III in the best-of-seven finals, they shared some of their thoughts.

JON WRIGHT, 39, crew manager and mainsail trimmer, Rosemont, Pa.

Wright has sailed with Conner in four America’s Cup campaigns, starting in 1974 aboard Courageous when Conner was tactician and starting helmsman.

“Going into ’83 I said, ‘This is the last time,’ because I expected to win,” Wright said. “I couldn’t sit here and watch this on TV now. I’d be eating my heart out.”

Wright tries to help the rest of the crew absorb the experience.

“Every time we went out by that sea wall (in the challenge finals), there were 500 more people there than the day before. I told the guys, ‘In the next series they’ll be on the roofs.’

“You can describe it to ‘em and try to tell ‘em how exciting it is, but it really hit ‘em when they came in after winning that last race and the whole dock was full of cameras. I don’t think they realized what a big media event it was.

“You can see how it affects professional football players when they go to the Super Bowl and they have that week of just constant interviews and press. That’s the way it is here right now . . . like you’re trying to get everybody’s feelings. It’s pretty exciting.”

Wright started his America’s Cup experience as a headsail trimmer.

“The older you are, the further back in the boat you have to get. It took me 13 years to move six inches. I don’t think I’ll get past the wheels. I tailed in ‘84, ‘77, ’80 and ‘83, and I took a look at the sea conditions out here and didn’t want to be standing down there to leeward in this stuff.”

When John Marshall moved off the boat to coordinate the design program this time, Wright took over the main.

“Trimming the main or jib is really a good job because you actually make the boat go. You have to keep the sails set up where Dennis is pointing the boat. The main is interesting because it has so many controls, and it affects the helm so much. You can bend the mast in six different places.

“You’ve got an outhaul, inhaul, boom vang, lower runner, permanent backstay, Cunningham, headstay rake, traveler.

“As you tack, to help Dennis get the boat around, you trim the mainsheet in, which tightens the leach and kicks the bow around, and at the same time I pull the traveler up. Then when we come out of the tack I ease the traveler down to relieve helm. Then as the boat comes up to speed you trim the main in and the traveler up at the same time.”

Sounds routine, as it would be with any professional.

“I think it was more pressure getting here than it will be in the cup,” Wright says. “One thing you don’t want to do is to come this far and not get into the cup (finals). To get so close and have it snatched away, like we did to the Kiwis, has to be tough.”

SCOTT VOGEL, 26, bowman, Shoreham, N.Y.

His wife Dory is the backup navigator. After the victory over New Zealand, Conner introduced Vogel as “the first man to lose the America’s Cup,” since he was on the front of the boat when it crossed the line.

“We knew (Australia) had a faster boat,” Vogel says. “We thought they might be able to pass us, but we didn’t think they’d be able to beat us. You can’t go into a race thinking you might lose.”

During a brief interview, Vogel’s crewmates are heckling him and the reporter.

“Has he (the reporter) asked you how it is sailing with Dennis Conner?”

“No, we did the first question,” Vogel says, “ ‘What was it like to lose in 1983?’ ”

Although from New York, Vogel never had any doubts about whom he would sail with this time.

“People say New York Yacht Club and San Diego Yacht Club, but it’s John Kolius or Dennis Conner,” Vogel says. “Kolius has all his boys. For me, it still would have been Dennis.”

JAY BROWN, 28, pitman, Annapolis, Md.

There were some hairy moments during the early days of testing and training in Hawaii.

“We had a couple of days when we very nearly sank Liberty,” Brown says.

Herb Holland, a crewman since departed, was down below getting a sail to pass up to mastman John Barnitt.

Brown: “Herb said, ‘No problem. Look, I’ve got it right here under the hatch.’ He’d floated the sail under the hatch.

“We regularly would go upwind and then bear off and pump for 15 minutes. It got so bad on Liberty, and particularly one instance on Spirit, that the boat was nearly at the point where a boat bears off and just keeps going down, like a submarine.”

The deck was redesigned to weld the pit hatch shut.

“That meant I didn’t have to go below and pack sails anymore,” Brown says, gleefully. “The pitman now does the halyards. The spinnaker pole controls are mine. It’s easy with practice.

“The mastman still jumps the halyards. I do a lot of grinding while John’s below packing the sails. All the tacking duels, John and I are both in on the handles helping Jim (Kavle) and Henry (Childers).”

Brown is a man with a sense of purpose and awareness about him.

“It’s an amazing emotional roller coaster here,” he says. “You’re so far from home for so long that successes and failures are emotionally magnified. You’re way hooked into the program.”

He has no idea what he’ll be doing when it’s over.

“I don’t have a job,” Brown said. “I don’t have a car, a place to stay. When this program’s over I’ve got to make a decision between being a full-on sailor or a real profession.”

He has a degree in English.

“I did three job hunts and each time the job turned out to be something in sailing,” he says. “But now my parents see me on ESPN and think, ‘Maybe he hasn’t wasted his life, after all.’ ”

ADAM OSTENFELD, 35, starboard tailer,

Newport, R.I.

Ostenfeld has sailed on every kind of big boat around and has built a lot of them, including America II’s first two 12-meters. He has never experienced winning the America’s Cup, but he did experience losing it with Conner in ’83.

“After we lost the America’s Cup, I thought I knew enough to help somebody that needed help,” he says.

America II asked him to do its deck layout and get the boat’s construction organized, but he left last year.

“I didn’t feel their organization was successful enough to beat Dennis,” Ostenfeld says. “Their learning curve was kind of flattened out. They weren’t doing anything that I thought was creative enough to merit sticking around, and their crew was really young. They made a lot of mistakes as a result. You can’t go into a competition like this with an amateur crew.

“So Dennis asked me if I wanted to come back. I said, ‘I’ll earn the job.’ So I went to Hawaii and made a commitment.

“I broke my wrist sailing around in a lot of wind in the Molokai Channel (when) a genoa car smashed into it. No big deal. Two weeks later, I was out there sailing with a plastic bag on my arm.”

Tom Blackaller is harshly critical of what he calls Conner’s “bludgeon” approach to the cup.

“I don’t understand why people are critical of somebody else’s method,” Ostenfeld says. “You could be critical of Michelangelo because he stayed up late and painted pictures, a famous ballet dancer because he danced too much.

“If you want to be the best in your field, you’ve got to make a commitment to that field and stick to it. When you’re with Dennis, you either make that commitment and stick with it or you’re not there anymore. I’m kind of proud of that.”

Part of that was learning to sail in wild conditions.

“We’re not intimidated by wind,” Ostenfeld says. “Every place we go sailing after this is gonna be boring.”

Ostenfeld, originally from New York, also has an artistic side, specializing in metallic sculptures. He would like to design a new America’s Cup.

JIM KAVLE, 26, port grinder, Rosemont, Pa.

Kavle has an economics and finance degree from Ohio Wesleyan. He campaigned a Star boat up to the ’84 Olympics.

“Our choice of going to Hawaii to train served us pretty well,” he said. “We were used to sailing in 30, 35 knots. In 10 to 15 knots it’s real easy to tack one of these boats, even with a big sail up. But once it gets 20 to 35, it really starts to become a grind.”

That’s a grinder’s joke. They operate six-speed winches and operate the gear boxes with foot pedals. In heavy winds, pitman Jay Brown lends his two hands, sometimes mastman John Barnitt, “when he’s not repacking sails,” Kavle says.

For a grinder, tacking duels “are like an aerobic workout,” Kavle says.

The pulse rates hit 180 or 190.

“There’s not a lot of recovery time in between,” Kavle says, “but you don’t notice it. The adrenaline keeps you going. When you climb off the boat, your forearms hurt, your elbows hurt. You know you’ve been working.

“It’s like we’re the linemen on a football team. The tailers are always telling us, ‘Good job.’

“We watch the clew coming around the shrouds. You can feel the boat slow down when it’s coming through the tack, head to wind, and it takes about 15 seconds go back up to normal speed (of) 8.4, 8.5 knots. When you tack it might go down to 7.8, then you watch it build back up. Everybody on the boat can tell when you’ve had a good tack.”

After this is over, Kavle says, he’ll “probably go home and get a normal job.”

BILL TRENKLE, 29, port tailer, Garden City, N.Y.

Trenkle has a degree in marine engineering from the New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler. As project manager, he worked with bowman Scott Vogel in designing the mast and deck layout on Stars & Stripes.

“We have not had one debilitating breakdown,” Trenkle says, “just a couple little things but nothing’s that’s slowed us down in a race.

“We practiced breaking stuff in Hawaii. The boats we started sailing in Hawaii were set up (for) Newport (R.I.). We learned the headboard systems had to be changed and the vangs had to be beefed up.

“We learned we’d better have pretty good waterproofing or we were gonna sink. We turned Spirit into a 13-meter . . . had a big lead shoe at the bottom of her to try to make her competitive for crew training. The weight increased the stability but sank her deeper, as well.

“That boat had the old-style hatches that slid aft, and when the waves hit they’d get pushed back and the water would come in. The tailers’ pits weren’t enclosed, and the pit behind the mast wasn’t enclosed. We started filling up the boat.”

On this day, Trenkle’s mates are teasing him about a picture in the paper of New Zealand skipper Chris Dickson with Sarah Fulcher, the San Diego blonde who ran across Australia.

“I was dating her for a while,” Trenkle says, ignoring them.

“This is the Super Bowl for us. I was on Freedom, the trial horse, last time (in ‘83). When I talk to people back in the States, it’s surprising to hear how much information they’re getting. It’s good, because this is what I do full time. I make my living doing this.

“When I’m not doing America’s Cup I work for private owners on ocean racing boats. It doesn’t pay great, but the more it gets to be publicized the more chance it will turn professional eventually, and there’ll be more money in it for me.

“I get a little tired of traveling. I don’t have any roots right now. My parents live on Long Island. As I became more involved, my engineering became more practical for me to use. They knew I was making a living and doing what I wanted to do.”

Suddenly, with increased TV coverage of the cup, a lot of people know what he does.

“It didn’t really hit me until I was speaking to my parents,” Trenkle says. “They were saying, ‘We saw you.’ They used to try to pick me out of these small pictures. ‘Oh, there’s Billy.’ So it’s kind of neat. People are more aware that there are 11 people on the boat. Otherwise, all they know is Dennis. It seems like more of a team, and not just Dennis and 10 other guys. I think people can appreciate what goes into sailing the boats.”

JOHN BARNITT, 24, mastman, Minneapolis

Barnitt was aboard Liberty in ’83.

“The nice thing about this time is that we’re the challenger,” he says. “It was really fun to sail against the Italians, the French, the Kiwis and the English.”

But sailing was only part of the preparation. For Barnitt, a former defensive end, the Stars & Stripes’ program started out like a pro football training camp.

“We were removed from everything in Hawaii for a year and a half,” Barnitt says. “We lived in a very tall condominium out in the middle of nowhere. That was good. We had a lot of work to do. It was definitely a testing time for men and boats.

“I lived in a two-bedroom apartment with four other guys, and we were all big guys. You couldn’t live in our place unless you were over 6-4 and 220 pounds. We got on quite well.

“I shared a room with the other mastman for a while. We thought that whoever could do the job better would be better for the boat, as long as we knew the best person in our country was doing it.

“The big thing is to work together as a team all the time, and in these windy conditions you need two big, strong grinders who are smart and agile, but they have to have help.

“Our moves are choreographed. The timing is very important. You don’t realize it unless we switch the crews around and you have to talk about things more.

“A good jibe is when I can trip the pole and then get back to the handles and help square back the pole. Having Scotty (Vogel) pulling the tacking line helps a great deal. He gets that sail to clear the shrouds, and the four of us can bang it in that much easier. When the five of us work together and get through 131 tacks in a day, we get a passing grade from Dennis for that.”

After the Cup, Barnitt says, “I’ll have to get a job. Try to get an ocean racing boat to run.

“These programs are fantastic, but it’s a donation of time. I’ll have to get back on my feet financially. I should probably worry about my future more than I do. I don’t want to be pulling up jibs for D.C. when I’m 40.”

KYLE SMITH, 31, starboard grinder, New Orleans

This is Smith’s third America’s Cup campaign with Conner. His wife Karen is the team’s exercise physiologist.

“I had my doubts about coming back,” he says. “It’s a long road to get here, but we lost it and I wanted to win it back, and I figured Dennis would be the guy to do it.

“Since ’83 I’d gotten married and figured I’d stay home. The work and demands involved in a cup campaign are enormous. Can you imagine training for more than a year and a half just for the trials? It’s like having football practice for a year and a half and never playing a game.

“Then Dennis talked to Karen and told her she could teach the crew aerobics. She was all excited. She loves it. And now that we’re on top, I like it, too.”

Smith recalls the final beat home in the last race against Australia II, pushing himself at the winches through 47 desperate, futile tacks.

“It was very depressing, knowing we were going to be the only boat to lose the cup. But they had a much better boat. This time they don’t.”

TOM WHIDDEN, 39, tactician, Essex, Conn.

Whidden may be the most relaxed person on the boat and does most of the talking: an order, an observation, a suggestion, a quip or a word of encouragement, even to Conner when it’s needed. He is the skipper’s alter ego. They have won the cup and lost the cup together, and probably will continue to campaign for it in the future.

A former president of Sobstad Sailmakers, he will become president of North Sails after the cup, but he’s not moving into the board room.

The crew’s confidence level, compared to entering the finals in ‘83, Whidden says, is “a hundred times better.

“In ’83 I felt like we had one bullet in a chamber of six. Now we feel like we’ve got a full gun. A loaded gun.

“Even if we’re even--and we tend to think we’re gonna be a little faster--we’d feel good about it, because we were so much slower in ’83 it just feels great to be equal. So our psychology is very good.

“The low point was when we lost those four races in November and we really didn’t set our boat up very well for that. The high point was beating (Tom) Blackaller, four-zip. That was quite an accomplishment because he was extremely fast.”

Whidden feels the crew is ready.

“I think they’re peaking now. They’re the best crew I’ve ever sailed with. Mentally and physically, they’re at the top of their curve right now. Everybody feels very good about himself, and that’s important in yacht racing, to have good self-confidence.

“I think Dennis and I are doing a good job keeping the crew calm and exuding confidence. That’s gotta help.”

PETER ISLER, 31, navigator, New Haven, Conn.

An expert skipper in his own right, Isler won major match racing championships in New Zealand and Britain last year and was helmsman for Courageous in that ill-fated campaign.

When he saw that Courageous, defender of the cup in ’74 and ‘77, would never be competitive again and syndicate chairman Leonard Greene wasn’t going to build a new boat, Isler resigned and joined Stars & Stripes.

“Two summers ago, right after I got married, I had some pretty serious discussions with Tom (Whidden) and Dennis (Conner) and was within about a day of signing on,” Isler said. “But I’d been trying to line up a skippering position and, at the last minute, Leonard Greene came through, so I signed on with Courageous.

“I’d heard the warnings, but I thought it’d be good experience, and it was. I’m really glad I did it.

“When we left Australia, Leonard was promising a new boat, then as the spring wore on it became apparent that a new boat was less and less likely. I realized I was hanging on a little too long, and Tom and Dennis had left an opening in the back of the boat. There wasn’t an official navigator, (so) they called me.”

Isler sailed with Conner in ’82 when they won the Southern Ocean Racing Conference series on Retaliation.

“I was in awe of his abilities. He’s as good a sailor as you could hope to sail with . . . incredible intuition, good judgment and a good gambling mind, from, in an ocean race, saying, ‘We should set the chute and just reach down there and get in the Gulf Stream,’ to looking under the jib, and saying, ‘Sure, we can cross that 12-meter.’ He makes good split-second decisions.”

But what sets this campaign apart from Conner’s previous efforts is that he isn’t trying to do everything himself.

“He’s not involved with the day-to-day design teams, or what the next sail is going to be,” Isler says. “He’ll stick his nose in, but that delegation goes on the boat, too.”

Isler has a degree in meteorology from Yale.

“I’ve always been science/math-oriented,” he says. “I’ve definitely applied it to my sailing.”

As skipper of Courageous in the 12-meter worlds a year ago, he is Stars & Stripes’ only hand who sailed in Fremantle before the cup trials.

“From being down here and racing before, I had more local knowledge than anybody else on the boat . . . (knowing) when the Doctor fills in, when you’re on the right side, the sort of oscillations you get in certain wind conditions.”

After the cup, Isler will turn some of his attention to helping his wife, J.J., prepare her Olympic women’s 470 campaign. She is the current world and European champion in the class.

But Isler’s appetite has been whetted for the America’s Cup.

“I would have my eyes on a skippering position next time,” he says.

HENRY CHILDERS, 26, starboard grinder, Cranston, R.I.

This is Childers’ first--and probably last--America’s Cup. Afterward, he is on to more important matters, such as pursuing a cure for cancer.

Very few brain surgeons, nuclear physicists or, in Childers’ case, microbiologists are found at the winches of a 12-meter, but Childers grew up in America’s Cup territory with sailing in his blood. He also grew up big and strong.

When tactician Tom Whidden called “and asked me if I was interested,” Childers says, “I was doing research at New England Medical Center in molecular biology. Tufts med school. I was also doing research and taking post-graduate courses at Harvard.”

At the time he was trying to decide to follow medical practice or research.

“With the time I had applied to med school and doubting whether I wanted to go or not, it was a good time to get away without thinking about it. I think what I want to do is get a Ph.D in molecular biology, (which is) another two years.”

The field is categorized, Childers says, as “sub-cellular science.”

“There’s a lot of things you can do with it, but it’s microscopic. You never see what you’re doing. Most everything that they’re doing now is something dealing with cancer.

“What I was doing was something called self-retranscription of RNA. We make our own RNA and DNA and take fragments and insert it into bacteria and have them grow it up. We make strands ourselves and can in turn go through something called in-situ hybridization.”

Pause. Are you putting us on, Henry? You’re really a grinder?

“It’s a pretty bad rap we have,” Childers says. “ ‘You guys aren’t supposed to think.’ ‘I’m sorry, my mistake.’ ”

Actually, Childers says, grinders need brains, too.

“Grinding on a 12-meter is different than grinding on any other boat because you do so many things. You’re responsible for sails going up, sails coming down. If you run into problems . . . we blew the spinnaker on the third race and the jib blew out. We were among the first guys up there.

“On another boat you just hold onto the handles and let go when the race is over. That takes everything good out of it. You have to think. You have to react. You have to know a lot about sailing. The stronger and taller you are is gravy. For this job, you’ve gotta be strong, but you can’t just be strong.”

But after this, can sailing ever seem as important?

“I think my time’s probably gonna be occupied doing the real-life things,” Childers says. “This is the best one. This is the one we take back. Everything after would be good, but maybe a little secondary.”

Sign up for The Wild

We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Travel & Experiences

How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Tinx

Sept. 13, 2024

Yosemite’s Wawona Hotel, age 168, will close indefinitely for ‘intensive’ checkup

Sept. 12, 2024

A thrilling way to see Little Tokyo? Chase down a spy in this interactive mystery game

This under-the-radar city is the hiking trails capital of California

Sept. 10, 2024

• Find A School
• Certifications
• North U Sail Trim
• Inside Sailing with Peter Isler
• Docking Made Easy
• Study Quizzes
• Bite-sized Lessons
• Fun Quizzes
• Sailing Challenge

Restore Stars & Stripes 87

“Stars & Stripes” is arguably the most famous yacht in American history. She is the 12 Meter Yacht sailed by Dennis Conner and his crew in Freemantle, Australia, and in 1987, she recaptured the America's Cup for the USA against all odds. It was a moment that inspired the nation and put sailing on the cover of Time magazine, on Wall Street for a triumphant ticker tape parade, and on the White House lawn. 

After her incredible victory in Australia, “Stars & Stripes” was forced into service as a charter boat in St Maarten in the Caribbean to earn her keep. The owners would invite cruise ship passengers to buy tickets and sail aboard to recreate the excitement of America’s Cup 12 Meter races.  In 2017 Hurricane Irma devastated St Maarten and,   along with it, “Stars & Stripes” which was dismasted and sunk.  The owners hoped to restore her but the nature of the damage and the cost to bring her back to life was too great for the owners to bear. After holding on to “Stars & Stripes “for several years, the operators decided to pass her to the next caretakers who have the resources and passion to bring her back to life. 

This spring “Stars & Stripes” was purchased by the NY Harbor Sailing Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, which will restore the intrepid yacht as a floating museum and reminder of America’s innovative spirit, tenacity and sailing prowess. The restoration costs are estimated at approximately one million dollars. Our goal is to have “Stars & Stripes” restored by one of America’s most prestigious boatyards in Newport, RI.  

The foundation will launch a grassroots campaign soliciting $5-$100 donations from individuals who have a love of sailing and pride in America’s technology and winning ways. Costs could also be reduced by finding endemic partners and manufacturers who understand and appreciate this yacht and who would be eager to assist in making the restoration as authentic as possible. This is a unique opportunity to bring America’s most famous yacht back to life.

It is important that all Americans who remember and were inspired by the victory of “Stars & Stripes” be given an opportunity to participate in her restoration. We believe the time is right for this project to inspire our country and provide a project upon which to build common ground. This grassroots campaign will also be augmented by larger gifts and sponsorships from individuals, companies and foundations. This program is about historical preservation and national pride.

“Stars & Stripes” will be restored by the “People of the United States of America” and will become a floating museum that engages the public and tells the story of America’s greatest moment in sailing.  Stars & Stripes” will embark on a national tour visiting yacht clubs, boat shows and boating festivals across America.  When not on tour, “Stars & Stripes” will be on display in New York Harbor.  A made-for-streaming-services documentary about the yacht’s restoration and her place in history is also being considered to further publicize this project.

All Photos By Daniel Forster

• Name * First Last
• Email * Enter Email Confirm Email
• Phone Number

How much would you like to Donate?

• Custom Donation Amount *
• Total $0.00

Payment Information

• Credit Card * American Express Discover MasterCard Visa Supported Credit Cards: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa Card Number Month 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Year 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039 2040 2041 2042 2043 Expiration Date   Security Code Cardholder Name
• Billing Address * Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d'Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine, State of Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, the United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Türkiye US Minor Outlying Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands Country

• Learn To Sail
• Mobile Apps
• Online Courses
• Upcoming Courses
• Sailor Resources
• ASA Log Book
• Bite Sized Lessons
• Knots Made Easy
• Catamaran Challenge
• Sailing Vacations
• Sailing Cruises
• Charter Resources
• International Proficiency Certificate
• Find A Charter
• All Articles
• Sailing Tips
• Sailing Terms
• Destinations
• Environmental
• Initiatives
• Instructor Resources
• Become An Instructor
• Become An ASA School
• Member / Instructor Login
• Affiliate Login