Marathon To Test Best In Yachting Round The World Race Is Eight-Month Journey

Dennis Conner has won the America’s Cup four times. He’s now seeking his first victory in the Whitbread Round the World Race, which begins Sunday when 10 yachts set sail from Southampton, England, on a 31,600-mile, eightmonth journey.

“The big difference, if a part breaks you don’t go into the dock and get another,” said the 55-year-old American, the co-skipper on “Toshiba,” one of three U.S. boats in the race.

“In the America’s Cup, if you have a jerk on the crew, you’re only with him for two hours,” he added. “Here it could be a month.”

This is sailing’s unpredictable, marathon event - a nine-leg race that touches five continents before its estimated finish back in the south England port of Southampton on May 24.

“The hardest thing is getting the crew used to sleep deprivation,” Conner said. “You get two or three hours at a time a few times a day and you have to get used to racing 24 hours a day for 30 days at a time. And then there’s eating freeze-dried food over the whole race.”

The British writers covering the race have billed Toshiba among the three favorites. The others are British boat “Silk Cut,” skippered by Briton Lawrie Smith, and “Merit Cup,” racing under a Monaco flag with Grant Dalton of New Zealand at the helm.

In reality, Conner may be doing little of the day-to-day sailing, leaving that to New Zealand’s America’s Cup veteran Chris Dickson. Dickson was far ahead in the last race in 1993-94 until his mast came down with one leg left in the six-leg competition, costing him and the boat “Tokyo” the race.

Conner, who also raced in the event four years ago, may be aboard for a few of the legs, but his main job is logistics and hand-shaking for the sponsor.

He said he’d prefer to be sailing “but sometimes in your life you have to do things that have to be done.”

“I’d like to do the SydneyAuckland leg,” Conner said. “Sydney is a wonderful sailing venue and they’re just crazy for boats in New Zealand. There will be 20,000 boats out in the harbor to greet you.”

The Whitbread boats - eight of the 10 were designed by U.S.-based New Zealander Bruce Farr in Annapolis, Md. - are 60 to 64 feet in length with crews of 10 to 12. That’s smaller than the America’s Cup boats, which are 80 feet long and carry up to a 17-member crew.

The other two American entries - both viewed as outsiders - are America’s Challenge, a late entry skippered by New Zealander Ross Field, who won the last race in 1993-94, and Chessie Racing, with American skipper George Collins.

There’s also an all-female crew aboard the Swedish boat “EF Education,” skippered by Christine Guillou of France. A second Swedish boat “EF Language” is being piloted by American Paul Cayard.

The longest leg is the first - 7,350 nautical miles from Southampton to Cape Town, South Africa, with the boats expected to arrive on Oct. 22 after 32 days at sea.

Unlike previous Whitbreads, this race features only one class of boat, the Whitbread 60. For the first time, every yacht is new, built specifically for this year’s race.

Past champions were determined on accumulated time. This time the winner will be determined on a point system.