Sailing: Aussie tramp steams up Kiwis

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

There's an underarm controversy brewing down at the sailing.

Trampoline may be a new Olympic sport, but the Australian Tornado sailors have taken it a step further and put one on their boat.

The New Zealanders reckon the clever piece of work is illegal. The whole (or rather, hole) issue could end up in the protest room when racing starts on Saturday.

But Kiwi sailors are not immune to a bit of contention either - the Aussies have objected to an innovation in the New Zealand 470 boats.

Australians John Forbes and Darren Bundock have devised a new trampoline strung between the two hulls of their Tornado.

The white and red fabric is punctuated with holes which lets the water drain away quicker.

New Zealand's Tornado sailors, Chris Dickson and Glen Sowry, believe the trampoline breaks the class rules because it has too many holes in it, making it like a net.

"When it goes up on one hull, it's an advantage that the water and air can go through the gaps," said New Zealand sailing manager Russell Green.

The friction started before the Olympic measurers came to check out the Tornado fleet on Monday.

Twelve of the 16 countries lodged an objection over the measurement panel because it included Forbes' dad, Bob.

It was quashed when objectors were told that Forbes sen was an assistant to the head measurer, and did not make any decisions.

The Australian sailing team said yesterday that the measurers were happy that the trampoline was legal, after they carried out a special water test. A note has been sent to the International Sailing Federation for a further ruling.

It probably won't stop rival teams throwing in a protest when sailing starts.

The Aussies say if there is a kerfuffle over the issue, they are quite happy to revert to the old solid cover the other sailors use.

The measurement process is so sensitive that some countries have complained that Sydney Olympic stickers on the side of the Australian catamaran make the boat heavier.

Meanwhile, the Kiwi 470s will have some fun with a new system in the middle of their boats.

Coach John Clinton has designed a metal bar which keeps ropes, leads and blocks undercover and tidy.

The Australians have lodged an objection against New Zealanders Simon Cooke and Peter Nicholas, claiming the bar adds extra weight to the boat.

Said Green: "The problem is everyone is wondering why our guys are going so fast, after they won the European champs.

"But all this clever system does is keep the boat cleaner."

In another measurement oddity, almost half of the Mistral boardsailing fleet found their masts were too heavy for the Olympics.

It appears a manufacturer's fault made the rigs overweight. World champion Kiwi Barbara Kendall lost one of her masts under the ruling, and took another out training yesterday.