SYNDICATES AT A GLANCE : AN AMERICA’S CUP PROGRESS REPORT : DEFENDERS : Team Dennis Conner

Yacht club: San Diego

Syndicate head: Dennis Conner

Skipper: Dennis Conner

Budget: $20 million

Boats: One (“Stars & Stripes”).

Designers: Bruce Nelson, David Pedrick, Alberto Calderon, Chris Todter (coordinator).

IACC Worlds: Placed third; withdrew from semifinals.

Comment: It now seems certain, as Conner has said, there will be no second boat. But the team is believed to be experimenting with different keel and rudder shapes to alter the boat’s characteristics in the search for greater speed.

America 3

Yacht club: San Diego

Syndicate head: Bill Koch

Skipper/helmsmen: Bill Koch/Buddy Melges, Kimo Worthington.

Budget: $40 million

Boats: Two (“Jayhawk,” “Defiant”); third (USA 23) due in January.

Designers: Doug Peterson, Jim Reichel, Jim Pugh, Heiner Meldner.

IACC Worlds: Placed sixth and tied for seventh (two boats).

Comment: Questions continue on how much Koch will steer. He plans to wait until January to announce crews for the two boats for the first round robin of the defender trials starting Jan. 14.

CHALLENGERS

Spirit of Australia

Yacht club: Darling Harbour

Syndicate head: Iain Murray

Skipper: Peter Gilmour

Boats: One (“Spirit of Australia”).

Designer: Iain Murray

Budget: $12 million.

Comment: Colorful green, yellow and white boat adorned with sponsors’ logos. Based on Mission Bay, sailing regularly. Expected to be best of one-boat challenges; current practice races may offer clues.

Australian Challenge

Yacht club: Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron

Syndicate head: Syd Fischer

Skipper/helmsman: Gordon Lucas, Phil Thompson vying.

Boats: One (“Challenge Australia”).

Designer: Peter van Oossanen

Budget: $10 million.

Comment: The “other Australian syndicate” is based next to America-3 in upper San Diego Bay. Tendency is to write off this low-budget effort, but Fischer is an old hand at the game and would have been a factor in ’87 had he worked Steak-n-Kidney up to speed earlier.

Ass’n Pour L’America’s Cup en France

Yacht club: Yacht Club de France-Sete

Syndicate head: Francois Giraudet (general manager)

Skipper: Marc Pajot.

Boats: Three (F-1, “Ville de Paris I and II”).

Designers: Phillippe Briand, Gilles Ollier.

Budget: $30 million.

IACC Worlds: Tied for seventh.

Comment: The French have been fast in the past without money. Now, with their third, campaign boat sailing, they must be rated a contender.

Il Moro di Venezia (Italy)

Yacht club: Compagnia Della Vela

Syndicate head: Raul Gardini

Skipper: Paul Cayard

Boats: Five (all “Il Moro di Venezia”).

Designer: German Frers.

Budget: Claiming only $40 million; nobody believes it.

IACC Worlds: Placed second and fourth in fleet racing, first and third in sailoffs.

Comment: Fifth, campaign boat has arrived and due to be launched next week. After two-year training and development program, this week Gardini hosted lavish black-tie banquet at his home on canal in Venice and Louis Vuitton Inc. held press conference for 150 European journalists to start final push.

Nippon Challenge (Japan)

Yacht club: Nippon Ocean Racing

Syndicate head: Tatsumitsu Yamasaki

Skipper: Chris Dickson.

Boats: Two (“Nippon”); third due by Christmas.

Designers: Kennosuke Hayashi, Akira Kubota, Ichiro Yokoyama.

Budget: $40 million

IACC Worlds: Placed fifth in fleet racing; fourth in semifinals after Conner withdrew.

Comment: Dickson officially named skipper this week--as if they were any doubt--with fellow New Zealander John Cutler as tactician. Makoto Namba is “captain.” When Dickson won match-racing world championship at Bermuda, others aboard were Cutler, Mike Spanhake, Ken Hara and Yoshiya Susaki.

Mercury Bay Boating Club (New Zealand)

Yacht Club: Mercury Bay

Syndicate head: Sir Michael Fay

Skipper: Rod Davis.

Boats: Three (all “New Zealand”); fourth due next week.

Designers: Bruce Farr, Russell Bowler.

Budget: $35 million.

IACC Worlds: First in fleet racing, second in sailoffs.

Comment: The super-secret fourth campaign boat is scheduled to arrive in San Pedro Tuesday, totally enclosed in a crate, with a red bow around it--New Zealand’s Christmas present to the team. The same container ship also is carrying a team helicopter and a Maori war canoe.

Age of Russia

Yacht club: Ocean Racing Club, Leningrad.

Syndicate head: Vladimir Koulbida.

Skipper: Unknown.

Boats: One (“Age of Russia”).

Designer: Oleg Larionov.

Budget: $10 million.

Comment: Hull confirmed complete. Has been scheduled to be flown to San Diego for last few weeks, but future of syndicate in doubt since America’s Cup Organizing Committee gave official approval to rival Red Star ’92 group.

Red Star’92

Yacht Club: Ocean Racing Club, Leningrad.

Syndicate Head: Valentin Stepanov

Skipper: Sergei Borodinov

Boat: One.

Designer: Oleg Larionov.

Budget: Unknown.

Comment: Officially approved by ACOC as the only valid Russian challenger, although boat is being built in Tallinn, Estonia. Sent complete personnel list to ACOC. Boat scheduled to be inspected by Cup measurer Dec. 18 but won’t in in San Diego until early January, at earliest.

Desafio Espana Copa America

Yacht club: Monte Real Club de Yates de Bayona

Syndicate head: Carlos Fernandez de Henestrosa

Skipper/helmsman: Pedro Campos, Antonio Gorostegui Ceballos (alt.).

Boats: Two (both “Espana”)

Designer: Diego Colon de Carbajal (technical director).

Budget: $30 million.

IACC Worlds: Placed last in boat borrowed from New Zealand.

Comment: Campos beat Cup rivals in Formula One event in 52-footers, then won AG Industries Super Mini America’s Cup for radio-controlled one-meter models. Now the IACC boat seems to be sailing well, too.

New Sweden

Yacht club: Stenungsbaden

Syndicate head: Tomas Wallin.

Skipper: Gunnar Krantz.

Boats: One (“Absolut Sweden”).

Designers: Peter Norlin, Sven Olaf Ridder, Lars Bergstrom, Hakan Sodergren (Britain’s David Hollom consultant).

Budget: $15 million.

Comment: Boat in San Diego but remains on cradle in Hyatt Islandia parking lot, awaiting mast and parts.

YACOMA d.d. (Croatia)

Yacht club: Yacht Club of Maribor.

Syndicate head: Bojan Butolen (Marco Cantoni funding).

Skipper: Dusan Puh.

Boat: One (“ZaraSCACC”).

Designer: Stanislav Nano Kovacevic.

Budget: $10 million.

Comment: Boat in Venice, Italy, safe from Yugoslavian civil war. Cantoni said he’d inform ACOC Saturday whether effort will continue.