Sailing: Britain face Conner and a new boat

The eight quarter-finalists for the Louis Vuitton Cup go into the unknown tomorrow with Britain facing the upstarts who gave birth to the America's Cup, the New York Yacht Club. It could all be over in a week for GBR Challenge, who have impressed with their intensity and appetite for hard work, as they meet one of the grittiest outfits in the event, Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes. Whatever happens, one of them is going home at the end of the best-of-seven series.

The Britons move into the quarter-finals with a 1-1 record against Stars & Stripes from the meetings in the rounds robin, but this encounter is an entirely new proposition. They will probably be up against a different boat as Conner's team have been working overtime on the newer USA77, the yacht which sank at the entrance to Long Beach Harbour and has since been fitted with a replacement bow. GBR themselves will be using a boat, GBR70, which has a new keel bulb and some new sails.

They cannot rely on USA77 being as tender opponents as their predecessors in the strong breezes which are forecast for this week. It looks to be an open contest.

Also changing boats are the syndicate which won the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000, Prada. The Italians have been working on ITA80 here in Auckland while making another new bow in Wellington for the boat they have used so far, ITA74. They need time to alter 74, and could take two weeks to do so. Yet 74 would still be ready in time if it were needed to sail in the repêchage if ITA80 is beaten by Switzerland's Alinghi. Most expect the all-European contest to go Alinghi's way.

The result of the allAmerican duel in the other half of the draw, between Oracle BMW, from San Francisco, and OneWorld, from further up the west coast in Seattle, is trickier to predict. Oracle BMW are running hot since Larry Ellison brought Chris Dickson in from the cold and agreed to stand down from the crew of his own boat. OneWorld may have peaked in October for an event that reaches its climax in January and February, but it is too early to write them off.

The Swedes have gambled a little on continuing French disarray. Le Defi Areva have a quick boat, especially in a breeze. They have fitted a new keel, bulb and wings, developed new sails and taken the skipper, Luc Pillot, off the helm, and with him the tactician Sébastien Destremau. A power struggle has brought back Philippe Presti, who knows well Victory Challenge's Jesper Bank from their Olympic Soling class days, when they trained together for match racing.

* Stuart Childerley, with his crew Simon Russell and Roger Marino, were celebrating with a race to spare after they completed an impressive defence of the Etchells World Championship here on the Hauraki Gulf. Childerley notched up three firsts, two seconds, two thirds and a ninth to compile a comprehensive victory.

LOUIS VUITTON CUP QUARTER-FINAL LINE-UP

The pairings are based on the combined results of the two preceding rounds robin. The top and bottom four syndicates were split into two divisions. The first boat, Alinghi, and Sweden's Victory Challenge, which finished top of the second division, then select their opponents for a best-of-seven series. Alinghi picked Prada, leaving the other two boats in the first division, Oracle BMW and OneWorld, to face each other. Victory Challenge chose Le Defi Areva, making GBR and Stars & Stripes automatic opponents.

The two winners in the top group meet each other in December's semi-finals. The two losers in the top group meet the two winners of the bottom group in a best-of-seven repêchage later this month. The two repêchage winners meet in the other semi-final.