Yachting: Quarter of a century later and big cat's out for justice

Stars & Stripes won the duel against KZ1 in San Diego in 1988. Photo / Mark Mitchell

There is some perfect symmetry going on here. It was 25 years ago to the day that the first catamaran in the America's Cup - Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes - ambushed Sir Michael Fay's big monohull KZ1 in 1988.

Stars & Stripes was designed by Gino Morrelli (among others), of the Morrelli & Melvin design and engineering consultancy which specialises in multi-hulls. It even had a wingsail (32m or 107ft).

Yesterday, New Zealand's big America's Cup catamaran - the AC72 called Aotearoa - ambushed the Stars & Stripes by winning the first two races of the 34th America's Cup. It was designed, along with others, by Pete Melvin - of Morrelli & Melvin.

Huh. Who'd a thunk it.

There were other similarities. The 1988 America's Cup also took place following some unpalatable and drawn-out legal action. After two-and-a-half years of legal argument, BMW Oracle (they later lost the BMW bit) won the right in court to stage a hostile deed of gift challenge against holders Alinghi.

A deed of gift challenge (the deed is the formal document governing Cup challenges) is a one-on-one contest; no other challengers, just a head-to-head, winner-takes-all contest.

Oracle took on Alinghi in Valencia in 2010, their giant 90ft trimaran, with a wingsail so big it could not sail under the Golden Gate Bridge, trumping Alinghi's giant catamaran.

Back in 1988, the lawyers were out in herds as well. Fay interpreted the long period of inactivity by the San Diego Yacht Club following Conner's win in Fremantle (taking the Cup back off the Australians) as unwillingness to race.

So, using legal leverage based around the deed of gift, he won court approval to stage a one-on-one challenge.

He came up with, as challenging yacht, a 90ft monohull, dwarfing the 12m class that had been used in each Cup since 1958.

The Americans fought this in court but lost. When the dust settled, they had only eight months left to design, build and test a yacht able to repel the challenge of Fay's "Big Boat".

Morrelli designed a catamaran. They didn't have time to build a huge monohull, test it and race it.

They also figured, on a legal basis, that nowhere was it said in the deed of gift that you couldn't have a catamaran. They knew there would be legal action after the Cup - but they were bound to win it as a 60ft catamaran was nimbler and quicker than the Big Boat.

On the first day of racing, on September 8, 1988, Stars & Stripes (US1) beat KZ1 by a whacking 18m 15s. And we think yesterday's 52s margin was pleasing.

The aftermath was notable for what many Kiwis consider was poor behaviour by Conner - who, provoked by Kiwi skipper David Barnes for not sailing to his maximum, shot back: "I'm sailing a cat, someone else is sailing a dog". That led indirectly to the infamous interview with Paul Holmes when an angry Conner walked out.

Fay had tried through the courts to get the match fought in monohulls but failed. After the Kiwis lost convincingly, he took it to the courts again. He won but then the verdict was overturned on appeal.

The Cup was Conner's. For the time being.

Now, 25 years later, catamaran justice may be being served again. This time, the M&Ms (Morrelli & Melvin) are on New Zealand's side.

The score is 2 to -2. There's no sign of lawyers (yet).

And no one is sailing a dog.