By SUZANNE McFADDEN
After five haunting years, Kiwi America's Cup yachtie Leslie Egnot dealt out some retribution to Dennis Conner yesterday.
Egnot was terrified by flashbacks as she directed the mixed-gender America True boat to a shock victory over Stars & Stripes yesterday - eliminating Team Dennis Conner from the America's Cup.
She
kept remembering the fateful April day in 1995 when she was at the wheel of the first women's boat, Mighty Mary, in the final race of the defender series off San Diego.
That day Stars & Stripes pulled off the greatest race comeback in the regatta's history - coming from more than four minutes behind on the final leg to deny America3 the chance to race Team New Zealand for the Cup.
That was the last time Egnot sailed in a cup regatta race. Still troubled by a neck injury she suffered while driving Mighty Mary in '95, the American-born Egnot has been helping the crew before and after races in the Louis Vuitton Cup.
But yesterday she was calling tactics - in the afterguard with fellow Kiwis John Cutler and Kelvin Harrap - for the True's giantkilling win by 1m 32s.
"I was a bit worried when we started getting a big lead. It was the first time it came into my head. It was like 'my God, I don't want it to get any bigger'," she said.
"Everyone was a bit nervous, remembering what happened back then. I have never forgottten it - everyone reminds me."
Added Dawn Riley, skipper then and now: "There were four of us girls on board today who kept having flashbacks - the guys didn't have a clue what we were going on about.
"At one point we were 23 boatlengths ahead, and Katie Pettibone said 'at least it's not 44'."
Mighty Mary was 44 lengths up on Stars & Stripes rounding the last mark off San Diego, when the women sailed into a wind hole allowing the guys victory.
Yesterday, America True led from the start after heading right and picking the winning windshift. In the light winds, the Trues could not be headed.
For Riley, the first woman boss of a Cup syndicate, the greatest moment was ending with a win - overtaking French syndicate Le Defi and not taking home the wooden spoon.
