Sir Russell Coutts (born 1 March 1962) is a world champion New Zealand yachtsman.

Early and personal life

Coutts was educated at

Otago Boys' High School , motto_translation = "The ‘right’ learning builds a heart of oak" , type = State secondary, day and boarding , established = ; years ago , streetaddress= 2 Arthur Street , region = Dunedin , state = Otago , zipcod ...

(1975–1979) and is a Life Member of Paremata Boating Club, where he learnt to sail in a P class, and the Ravensbourne Boating Club. Coutts has three children, and has been married twice. In 2021 Coutts criticised the New Zealand Government's response to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

, suggesting that the government was acting like a dictatorship by establishing vaccine mandates and enforcing managed isolation. In February 2022 Coutts announced that he would attend the

Convoy 2022 New Zealand The 2022 Wellington protest was an anti-vaccine, anti-mandate occupation of the grounds of Parliament House and Molesworth Street in Central Wellington during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It began in February 2022 and lasted just over ...

anti-mandate protest in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

Career

Coutts' achievements include a gold medal in the Finn Class in the

1984 Olympic Games The 1984 Olympics may refer to: *The 1984 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia *The 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an intern ...

, winning the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one ...

five times, the

ISAF ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...

World Youth championships, three World Match Racing Championships, numerous international match race wins and IOR,

IMS Ims is a Norwegian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Gry Tofte Ims (born 1986), Norwegian footballer * Rolf Anker Ims (born 1958), Norwegian ecologist See also * IMS (disambiguation) Ims is a Norwegian surname. Notable people wit ...

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). In 2005 Slovenian designer Andrej Justin designed with input from him a new boat called the

RC44 The RC44 sailboat was designed by Russell Coutts and with the assistance of naval architect Andrej Justin the boat is built by Pauger Carbon Composite / Pauger Yachts and first launched in 2007. The class is recognised by the International Sail ...

; 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. In July 2007, Coutts was named CEO and Skipper of

BMW Oracle Racing Oracle Team USA is an American yacht racing syndicate initially formed to compete for the 2003 America's Cup. They competed again in the 2007 event before winning the 33rd America's Cup regatta in 2010 – representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club ...

, sponsored by

Golden Gate Yacht Club The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) is a San Francisco, California, U.S. based yacht club founded in 1939. History In 1939 the first members built a clubhouse on a barge in the San Francisco Marina. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake severely ...

(GGYC), the United States Challenger to the

2010 America's Cup The 33rd America's Cup between Société Nautique de Genève defending with team Alinghi against Golden Gate Yacht Club, and their racing team BMW Oracle Racing was the subject of extensive court action and litigation, surpassing in acrimony even ...

. He was involved in the pre-match litigation between the challengers Golden Gate Yacht Club and

Société Nautique de Genève The Société Nautique de Genève is a yacht club based in Geneva ( Switzerland). It was founded in 1872 with the goal of developing nautical sports and high level sailors. Currently the club has about 3000 members. The club held the America's Cup ...

(SNG), in which the court decided that the GGYC was the rightful Challenger of Record. Cup Defender SNG's team was

Alinghi Alinghi, or Alinghi Red Bull Racing because of the sports marketing branding by Red Bull, is the syndicate set up by Ernesto Bertarelli, racing under the colors of the Société Nautique de Genève, to challenge for the America's Cup, as well as ...

. Coutts' yacht USA beat the defending yacht

Alinghi 5 ''Alinghi 5'' is a ( LWL), beam sloop-rigged catamaran built by Alinghi for the 33rd America's Cup. The boat was launched on 8 July 2009 when the hull was lifted from the construction shed in Villeneuve, Vaud by a Mil Mi-26 helicopter and ...

by considerable margins in both races. Most observers stated that USA 17's

rigid wing sail Rigid or rigidity may refer to: Mathematics and physics *Stiffness, the property of a solid body to resist deformation, which is sometimes referred to as rigidity * Structural rigidity, a mathematical theory of the stiffness of ensembles of ri ...

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 Team New Zealand or TNZ is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Team New Zealand became a household name in their home country following their consecutive wins in the America's Cu ...

. 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.

Achievements

*1981 –

World Youth Champion / Winner *1984 –

/ Los Angeles / Finn Class / Gold Medal *1992 – World Champion / Match Racing *1993 – World Champion / Match Racing
– Admiral's Cup / Pinta / /Winner *1994 – World Champion / Match Racing *1995 – 1995 Louis Vuitton Cup /

Black Magic Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 1 ...

/ San Diego / Winner (37 victories, 1 loss) – Skipper & Helmsman /> –

1995 America's Cup The 29th America's Cup was contested between the winner of the 1995 Citizen Cup, Team Stars & Stripes, which switched to the yacht ''Young America'' (USA 36) for the competition, and the winner of the 1995 Louis Vuitton Cup, Team New Zealand, w ...

(Challenger) /

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

/ Winner (5 to 0) – Skipper & Helmsman *1996 – World Champion / Match Racing *2000 – 2000 America’s Cup /

Team New Zealand Team New Zealand or TNZ is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Team New Zealand became a household name in their home country following their consecutive wins in the America's Cup i ...

(Defender) /

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

/ Winner (5 to 0) – Skipper & Helmsman *2001 – World Champion / 12 metre JI /

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes ...

– World Champion / Farr 40 /

Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...

, UK *2003 –

2003 Louis Vuitton Cup The 6th Louis Vuitton Cup was held in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2003. The winner, Alinghi, went on to challenge for and win the 2003 America's Cup. The teams The Yacht Club Punta Ala was the challenger of record. Alinghi Founded by Swiss bus ...

/ Winner (30 victories, 4 losses) – Skipper & Helmsman
–

2003 America's Cup The 31st America's Cup was contested between the holder, Team New Zealand, and the winner of the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup, Alinghi. Build Up The 2002–2003 Louis Vuitton Cup, held in the Hauraki Gulf in Auckland, New Zealand saw nine teams fr ...

(Challenger) /

/ Winner (5 to 0) – Skipper & Helmsman *2006 – Bol d'Or Rolex / Decision 35 / Team Banque Gonet / Switzerland / Winner
– World Champion / Farr 40 / Vincenzo Onorato Team /

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

, U.S. *2007 – World Champion / TP 52 / Team Artemis *2008 – Cagliari RC44 Cup, Match Racing / RC44 /

BMW ORACLE Racing Oracle Team USA is an American yacht racing syndicate initially formed to compete for the 2003 America's Cup. They competed again in the 2007 event before winning the 33rd America's Cup regatta in 2010 – representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club ...

Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitan ...

, Italy / Winner
– TP 52 Audi MedCup / TP 52 / Team USA 17 / Winner
– Malcesine SLAM Cup, Match Racing / RC44 /

/ Malcesine, Italy / Winner *2010

(Challenger) /

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

/ Winner (2 to 0) – Team

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

*2013

2013 America's Cup The 34th America's Cup was a series of yacht races held in San Francisco Bay on September 2013. The series was contested between the defender Oracle Team USA representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club, and the challenger Emirates Team New Zealand ...

/ Oracle Racing (Defender) / San Francisco, USA / Winner (9 to 8) – Team Chief Executive Officer

Awards

In New Zealand, Coutts has been honoured with appointment as a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in the

1985 New Year Honours The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

''London Gazette'' (Supplement), No. 49970, 28 December 1984
retrieved 10 January 2013. and then elevation to the rank of

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours. He was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours, and redesignated as a

Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...

in August 2009. He has been named

Sailor of the Year twice. Other awards include: * 1984 – New Zealand Yachtsman of the Year * 1994 –

Silbernes Lorbeerblatt Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf), the highest sports award in Germany, was endowed on 23 June 1950 by the German President Theodor Heuss. It is awarded to athletes and teams of exemplary character that have won medals at Olympic and ...

, German National Award * 1995 – Sperry World Sailor of the Year * 1995 – Halberg Award * 1995 –

ISAF World Sailor of the Year The World Sailor of the Year Awards were launched in 1994 by World Sailing (formerly the International Sailing Federation) to reward individual sailors for outstanding achievements in the sport. The awards have been sponsored by Rolex Rolex ...

Award * 1996 –

America's Cup Hall of Fame The America's Cup Hall of Fame, located at the Herreshoff Marine Museum of Bristol, Rhode Island, USA, honors individuals for outstanding achievement in the America's Cup sailing competition. Candidates eligible for consideration include skippers ...

* 1996 – World Trophy for Oceania * 2003 – ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award

References

External links

Profile
nzherald.co.nz; accessed 24 April 2016.
Sir Russell Coutts lobbied for Dean Barker to be in Team Japan mix for next America's Cup
stuff.co.nz; accessed 24 April 2016.

independent.co.uk; accessed 24 April 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Coutts, Russell ISAF World Sailor of the Year (male) 1962 births Team New Zealand sailors Oracle Racing sailors New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Otago Boys' High School Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Living people New Zealand male sailors (sport) Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand in sailing Sailors at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Finn Sailors at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Soling People in sports awarded knighthoods University of Auckland alumni Alinghi sailors Etchells class sailors Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics 2003 America's Cup sailors 2000 America's Cup sailors 1995 America's Cup sailors 1992 America's Cup sailors Farr 40 class world champions World champions in sailing for New Zealand SailGP