SAILING / AMERICA’S CUP : A Stormy Ride for French Entry

SAN DIEGO —  “ Francais en detresse, “ the headline screamed, summarizing France’s America’s Cup prospects.

In December the French dropped their first boat, France 2, on the ground, damaging it severely. They fixed it but later wondered if they should have bothered. It won only one of six races in the first round robin in January, then nearly sank when its keel fell off in February.

Ridicule, defeat, catastrophe, political intrigue--the French campaign seems a modern-day “Les Miserables,” with skipper Marc Pajot playing Jean Valjean. And yet Le Defi Francais survives and today starts the challengers’ final round-robin series needing to win only one more race than Nippon to qualify for the semifinals starting March 18. The first three slots are conceded to Peter Blake’s Team New Zealand (40 points), John Bertrand’s oneAustralia (33) and Chris Dickson’s TAG Heuer Challenge (29). With fourth-round victories worth five points, Nippon (18) and France (15) will fight for the fourth berth. Syd Fischer’s Sydney 95 (8) and Pedro Campos’ Rioja de Espana (4) only hope to be spoilers.

On the defense side, Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes and Kevin Mahaney’s mermaid-emblazoned Young America share first place, but suddenly there is some suspense: Will a new boat boost the women of America 3to the front?

Pardon Pajot if he doesn’t take time to ponder such questions. He’s feeling the heat from both sides of the Atlantic.

With less financial backing in his first two America’s Cup efforts, his campaigns reached the semifinals in 1987 and 1992. This time he had about $35 million.

“We’ve got the time and money,” Pajot said. “We have long experience. We are near (to having) perfect preparation.”

Pajot’s strongest supporter, Prime Minister Edouard Balladur, was on closed-circuit TV from Paris when the newest boat was christened in San Diego. Balladur is ambitious to succeed Francois Mitterand as president, but a Cup fiasco could hurt his chances.

It’s also clear how Pajot was pushed to the point of desperation when the team went into a five-race losing streak in the third round. He demoted himself to mainsail trimmer and took his chain-smoking, nail-biting tactician, Bertrand Pace, off the boat. Pace is the current world match-racing champion.

“I must do it for the team,” Pajot said, gallantly. “I must do it for France.”

Unfortunately, the replacements for Pajot and Pace, Francois Brenac and Thierry Peponnet, faced oneAustralia and TAG Heuer the next two days, before Pajot and Pace returned to defeat Spain, the Cup’s weakest competitor. But two days later the French sailed well to win their most important race, beating Nippon to keep their hopes alive.

But then, without a second boat to train with, nine crewmen, including Brenac, were sent home.

The French open the second round against Team New Zealand, which has lost only once--on a protest. They have Friday off, then meet Nippon on Saturday. The Japanese will introduce their new boat, designated JPN 41, against Dickson today.

America’s Cup Notes

America 3christened its new boat Wednesday and will race it for the first time against Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes today, then Kevin Mahaney’s Young America on Saturday. . . . Michael Coxon will return as helmsman of Syd Fischer’s Sydney 95. Colin Beashel has returned to Australia to pursue his Olympic Star class campaign.