Feb. 4, 1987

Four years ago, Dennis Conner was a goat, the first American skipper to lose the America's Cup in the 132-year history of the event. Today, he's riding the wave of success. The Los Angeles Times headline will proclaim: "Conner Re-Earns His Stripes as Star of America's Cup."

Led by the single-minded and determined San Diego yachtsman, Stars & Stripes sails to a one-minute-and-59-second victory over Kookaburra III of Australia in the waters off Fremantle, Australia, to complete its 4-0 sweep.

"It's a great moment for America and a great moment for the Stars & Stripes team, a great moment for the Stars & Stripes crew, and a great moment for Dennis Conner," he says. "We all appreciate that the America's Cup is the pinnacle of yachting, on a pedestal and the holy grail of yachting."

The victory boosts Conner's record to 2-1 in the America's Cup, as he also had skippered the winning boat in 1980.