Russell Coutts

Sir Russell Coutts (born 1 March 1962) is a world champion New Zealand yachtsman. He won an Olympic gold medal and skippered three Americas Cup victories in 1995, 2000, and 2003.

Early life Coutts was educated at Otago Boys' High School (1975–1979) and is a life member of Paremata Boating Club, where he learned to sail in a P class, and the Ravensbourne Boating Club. At the age of 17, he became national champion of New Zealand in the Laser class.

Career Coutts' achievements include a gold medal in the Finn class in the 1984 Olympic Games, winning the America's Cup five times, the ISAF World Youth championships, three World Match Racing Championships, numerous international match race wins and IOR, IMS and One Design World Championship victories. As skipper/helmsman in America's Cup racing, he has a perfect record with 15 wins and no losses (1995, 2000, 2003). He was CEO of the Oracle Team when it won the America's Cup twice with 14 wins and 16 losses (2010, 2013 and 2017 each time with James Spithill as skipper/helmsman).

RC44 series In 2005 Slovenian designer Andrej Justin designed with input from him a new boat called the RC44, a high-performance one-design racer created for top-level racing in international regattas under strictly controlled Class Rules. The concept and the design features of the RC44 are dedicated to the amateur helmsmen racing in fleet racing sailing events.

SailGP series Coutts along with American billionaire businessman Larry Ellison co-founded the SailGP professional series in October 2019.

In mid-March 2024, Coutts announced that SailGP would not return to Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2025 after the presence of endangered Hector's dolphins on the Lyttelton course led local authorities to cancel racing on 23 March. SailGP organisers had been expecting 22,000 people to attend the event. Coutts criticised "minority interests" particularly the Canterbury Harbourmaster, Department of Conservation, ECan (Environment Canterbury and local Māori iwi (tribe) Ngāti Wheke for what he called "extremely restrictive" protocols on racing. In response to Coutt's remarks, Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke and the host city agency ChristchurchNZ defended their marine mammal management plan, with the former saying that SailGP had "knew what they signed up for when they decided to hold the event within a marine mammal sanctuary." University of Otago zoologist Professor emeritus Liz Slooten said it was normal for Hector's dolphins to swim in harbours in autumn and criticised the organisers for not hosting the race in winter. Similar sentiments were echoed by Auckland City Councillor Josephine Bartley and Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand Executive Director Russell Norman. By contrast, Coutts was defended by former National Party leader and Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges who said that interest groups were opposing major events such as the SailGP race across the country.

In early May 2024, Newsroom reported that Coutts' SailGP was negotiating with the economic development agency ChristchurchNZ over future SailGP events being hosted by Lyttelton. The website also reported that an evening call with Coutts had led to an urgent board meeting at ChristchurchNZ.

America's Cup 1995 – 1995 Louis Vuitton Cup / Black Magic / San Diego / Winner (37 victories, 1 loss) – Skipper & Helmsman – 1995 America's Cup / Black Magic (Challenger) / San Diego / Winner (5 to 0) – Skipper & Helmsman 2000 – 2000 America’s Cup / Team New Zealand (Defender) / Auckland / Winner (5 to 0) – Skipper & Helmsman 2003 – 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup / Alinghi / Auckland / Winner (30 victories, 4 losses) – Skipper & Helmsman – 2003 America's Cup / Alinghi (Challenger) / Auckland / Winner (5 to 0) – Skipper & Helmsman 2010 2010 America's Cup / BMW Oracle Racing (Challenger) / Valencia / Winner (2 to 0) – Team Chief Executive Officer 2013 2013 America's Cup / Oracle Racing (Defender) / San Francisco, USA / Winner (9 to 8) – Team Chief Executive Officer

In July 2007, Coutts was named CEO and skipper of BMW Oracle Racing, sponsored by Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), the United States Challenger to the 2010 America's Cup. He was involved in the pre-match litigation between the challengers Golden Gate Yacht Club and Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), in which the court decided that the GGYC was the rightful Challenger of Record. Cup Defender SNG's team was Alinghi. Coutts' yacht USA beat the defending yacht Alinghi 5 by considerable margins in both races.

Most observers stated that USA 17's rigid wing sail had given it a decisive advantage.

Coutts again led the Oracle Team as CEO in the next America's Cup match against Emirates Team New Zealand. This match took place in the bay of San Francisco in September 2013. Oracle managed to come back from 8 races to 1 by winning the following 8 races and to defend the cup in the longest America's cup match ever. Both skipper James Spithill and team owner Larry Ellison praised Coutts' role in the defense of the oldest trophy in sports history.

World Championships 1981 World Youth Sailing 1st 1983 Finn Gold Cup Milwaukee, USA 13th Finn class 1984 Finn Gold Cup Anzio, Italy 7th Finn class 1989 IYRU Match Racing World Championship Lymington, UK 7th Match racing 1990 Soling World Championship Medemblik, Netherlands 8th Soling class IYRU Match Racing World Championship Auckland, New Zealand 5th Match racing 1991 IYRU Match Racing World Championship Hamilton, Bermuda 3rd Match racing 1992 IYRU Match Racing World Championship Long Beach, USA 1st Match racing 1993 IYRU Match Racing World Championship Perth, Australia 1st Match racing 1996 ISAF Open Match Racing World Championship Dubrovnik, Croatia 1st Match racing 1998 Etchells World Championship Marblehead, USA 2nd Etchells class 2001 12 Metre World Championship Cowes, UK 1st 12 Metre Grand Prix class Farr 40 World Championships Cowes, UK 1st Farr 40 class 2003 Farr 40 World Championship Porto Cervo, Italy 4th Farr 40 class ISAF Open Match Racing World Championship Riva del Garda, Italy 6th Match racing 2005 Melges 24 World Championship Key Largo, USA 28th Melges 24 class 2006 Farr 40 World Championship Newport, USA 1st Farr 40 class 2008 TP52 World Championship Lanzarote, Spain 4th TP52 class 2010 Melges 32 World Championship San Francisco, USA 7th Melges 32 class RC44 World Championship Puerto Calero, Spain 2nd RC44 class

Olympic Games He competed twice at the Olympics: In the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, USA he sailed the Finn class winning a Gold Medal In the 1992 Olympic Games held in Barcelona, Spain he finished 8th in the Soling class

Other events 1993 – Admiral's Cup / Pinta / /Winner 2006 – Bol d'Or Rolex / Decision 35 / Team Banque Gonet / Switzerland / Winner – World Champion / Farr 40 / Vincenzo Onorato Team / Newport, U.S. 2007 – Globals / TP 52 / Team Artemis 2008 – Cagliari RC44 Cup, Match Racing / RC44 / BMW ORACLE Racing / Cagliari, Italy / Winner – TP 52 Audi MedCup / TP 52 / Team USA 17 / Winner – Malcesine SLAM Cup, Match Racing / RC44 / BMW ORACLE Racing / Malcesine, Italy / Winner

Personal life Coutts has been married twice and has four children.

In 2021, Coutts criticised the New Zealand government's response to COVID-19 and suggested that the government was acting like a dictatorship by establishing vaccine mandates and enforcing managed isolation. In 2022, he announced that he would be attending the anti-mandate protest in Wellington.

Awards In New Zealand, Coutts was honoured with appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1985 New Year Honours and then elevation to the rank of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours, in both instances for services to yachting. He was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM) in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours "for services to yachting, especially the 2000 America's Cup challenge", and redesignated as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM) in August 2009.

Coutts has been named ISAF Sailor of the Year twice. Other awards include: 1984 – New Zealand Yachtsman of the Year 1994 – Silbernes Lorbeerblatt, German National Award 1995 – Sperry World Sailor of the Year 1995 – Halberg Award 1995 – ISAF World Sailor of the Year Award 1996 – America's Cup Hall of Fame 1996 – World Trophy for Oceania 2003 – ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award