Yachting: Young America can't get off slippery slope

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

Young America and Nippon passed each other on different elevators in the America's Cup yesterday - the Japanese keep going up while the New Yorkers can't get off the stairs going down.

The Young Americans, who once touted themselves as the United States' best chance to win the America's Cup, have suffered six defeats in a row in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series, their latest to the fast-ascending Japanese.

Nippon have jumped into third place with their new, faster boat Idaten and the return of their experienced bowman Toshiki Shibata, who was knocked unconcious by the spinnaker pole in round one.

Young America have slipped to eighth and are getting a little edgy about surviving the top-six semifinal cut.

They are now 40 points in arrears of leading boat Prada, who got a fright from the feisty French yesterday. But there are just two points separating the sixth-placed Spanish, Abracadabra in seventh, and Young America.

Ed Baird's crew were hampered by broken boats in the last round, but their downfall in the last two races has been human error.

They should get an easy nine points today, as their Swiss opponents have to forfeit the race in a boat with no mast.

Baird said his crew were disappointed, but he had no problems keeping the morale up.

"Clearly we're not trying to hide from the fact that we've got to win some races to stay in this," Baird said. "Yesterday we thought we were doing something smart, but it didn't work.."

Yesterday's race will be remembered for its confusion.

The Americans were penalised for getting too close to Nippon in an drag race up the first leg.

Nippon's impressive new boat pulled away, but Baird closed the gap under spinnaker as they approached the bottom mark for the second time. Trying to cancel out their protest by making Nippon blunder, Young America forced Idaten onto the wrong side of the mark.

But in a frenzy of protest-flag-waving, the Americans got themselves in trouble and were penalised once more. As they carried out a 270-degree turn, they had to change course to avoid Idaten, and then stopped dead in the water. Amid the chaos, Nippon sailed away to win eventually by almost five minutes.

The French had their chances to carry off the upset of the third round and down outright leaders Prada yesterday.

Le Defi led for half of the first leg, but still managed to keep in touch. Prada were penalised for not giving way at the top mark, but waited to make their penalty turn.

On the run to the finish, Le Defi had a final burst of speed in the 22-knot winds, but as they were drawing level, the French boat broached when skipper Bertrand Pace lost control.

The race was not over, as Prada broke their boom vang and still had a penalty to do, but the French then broke their spinnaker pole and watched their big chance float away, losing by 37s.

For the third time, America True beat their neighbours, Stars & Stripes, but it was never a sure thing during the race.