AMERICA’S CUP UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : Coutts Refuses to Be Counted Out of Future Cup Competition

SAN DIEGO —  There’s no letup for skipper Rod Davis and his New Zealand crew.

If they aren’t racing Paul Cayard, Chris Dickson or Marc Pajot, it’s Russell Coutts and his crew.

Mainsail trimmer Simon Daubney said, “There’s been times in the racing when we haven’t had such good competition. We finish those rounds and get back to our in-house racing, and all of a sudden, ‘Oh oh, we’re racing Russell Coutts today.’ ”

Coutts, a Finn class gold medalist in the 1984 Olympics, skippers the Kiwis’ backup boat, but he is more than a backup skipper. He’s the No. 1-ranked match racing sailor in the world, replacing Dickson and leapfrogging Davis and team coach Eddie Warden-Owen of Wales when the rankings were updated recently.

Along with Davis and tactician David Barnes, Coutts was in the running to skipper the Kiwi boat. It hasn’t been made clear how he wound up on the backup boat. One report said he was offered the tactician’s role but turned it down.

“I never, ever said no to the offer,” Coutts said this week.

But to the backup boat he went, to experience his first Cup in relative anonymity. Also his last in anonymity, if he has anything to say about it next time.

“We’re here just to help Rod and David and the boys get ready for the America’s Cup,” Coutts said. “I’ve worked hard in this role this time. I’ve enjoyed it, sure, but it’s been tough helping out. I wouldn’t do it again in this role. I certainly don’t want to sit out another America’s Cup.”

Coutts said first he would look to other opportunities outside New Zealand, as Dickson did with Nippon and Cayard did with Italy.

“The America’s Cup is getting less and less nationalistic. There are four skippers left here and three are San Diegans. No wonder it’s called the America’s Cup.”

Daubney said, “The strength of our whole team is having someone like Russell--number one in the world--to have someone of that caliber pushing us.”

Some of the most aggressive racing over the last few months has been between New Zealand’s own boats. The team gave reporters a close-up look one day this week as Davis and Coutts practiced starting drills off Coronado.

“Russell would like to embarrass me any chance he can,” Davis said, laughing. “We get pretty feisty sometimes.

“Russell and I have raced against each other for years. Russell and I get along quite well. It’s very good having Russell around. We share different tactical ideas. Russell’s a good sparring partner because he’s willing to take chances. We haven’t hit boats yet.

“And if I get hit by a car riding my bike home tonight, Russell Coutts has to step in and do the job.”

New Zealand and Il Moro di Venezia, who start the challenger finals Sunday, have been drilling as hard and as long as anyone, but Davis said, “At this point there is no burnout. The whole team is running on adrenaline.

Davis and Cayard are longtime crewmates and rivals. They may meet again in the Star class at the Barcelona Olympics, if Cayard wins the U.S. berth. Davis, an ’84 gold medalist for the U.S., will sail for New Zealand.

“Will I be nervous when we go out to the starting line the first time against Cayard?” Davis asked. “Yep. Am I nervous every time we race Cayard? Yep. If I’m not nervous, I’ll probably be dead. It’s not just Cayard. If you’re not nervous, you don’t care about it. I’m nervous every time I race somebody. I’m nervous when I race Russell Coutts. I’m just a nervous guy.”

What makes Davis nervous about Cayard, he said, is that “one of Cayard’s strengths is he limits his mistakes. He’s not the most aggressive guy . . . more in Dennis’ (Conner) style. He’ll be tough.”

The boats in the Cup match in May must have two microphones for television, including “one for the skipper’s voice,” according to the rules. Until then, America 3 and New Zealand are resisting.

Asked why, Bill Koch said, “Maybe it’s because it’s a bit confused at times. Maybe it’s because we don’t want the challengers to know what we’re thinking . . . and also because I’m just shy.”

Conner has worn one recently, although it was broken in the last, sailoff race.

New Zealand’s only microphone has been near the mast with the on-board camera, out of range of the afterguard.

The Il Moro afterguard has been audible recently.

“We want to help promote the sport,” spokesperson Monica Paolazzi said.

But the talk requires subtitles. It’s all in Italian.

America 3 says there is no chance Conner could use one of its supposedly faster boats in the Cup match if he wins the defender trials with the year-old Stars & Stripes.

The problem is an IRS technicality. The syndicate is listed under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code as a nonprofit organization, meaning its assets can’t be chartered or loaned.

So forget that idea.

Spot race reports from the courses may be heard on KFSD (94.1 FM) at 2:30 and 3:30 on race days.

New Zealand team business manager Ross Blackman, explaining why the Kiwis have no liquid crystal sails:

“New Zealanders drink anything that’s liquid. We don’t waste it on sails.”