KEY POINTS:
Since he finished with America's Cup holders Alinghi, Russell Coutts has been anything but a landlubber. He has established his own class of yachts, the RC44, been a regular on the TP52 circuit and has recently teamed up with Paul Cayard and launched the World Sailing League - a professional fleet racing circuit which pits nation against nation in catamarans. The Herald caught up with Coutts and asked him about his year ahead.
The World Sailing League, set to start in 2009, looks very exciting, where did the idea come from?
"When you look at the current sailing regattas, there are iconic, professional events in both match racing and ocean racing. However, most of the sailors in the world compete at fleet racing and that is certainly the discipline that the Olympics focus on. We believe it will be good to create a professional fleet racing series in big boats that fills this gap and provides a career path for the Olympic sailors (especially 49er, Tornado and 470 sailors) and other high performance fleet racing specialists. There is also a general move to using faster, more high-performance boats and if one extends that trend 10 years ahead, the multihull seems like the logical progression."
Why catamarans?
"The multihull is most probably the ultimate high-performance racing machine. We looked at a lot of other options such as big canting keel monohulls, but when we compared our required criteria with what can be achieved with each concept the catamaran is the best choice.
It will be fast, spectacular and it can be raced in relatively shallow harbours."
Have you done much catamaran sailing yourself?
"I would not be considered an expert at multihull sailing but I have done some sailing on Lake Geneva, on very nice and high-tech one design 35-foot [10.6m] catamarans. I had the opportunity to be coached by Roman Hagara [double Olympic gold medallist in Tornado] and learned a lot from him. Last year, I was with the team that won the Bol d'Or Mirabaud, the biggest regatta on a lake in Europe."
The concept is in its early stages but you say 12 national teams will compete. By national do you mean the whole crew has to be from one country? Do you think New Zealand could compete?
"More than 50 per cent of the crew must be nationals of the flag that the boat is racing under. It is possible a New Zealand team could compete. There is certainly the sailing talent!"
Who do you envisage sailing for?
"I will certainly explore the option of sailing with a New Zealand team."
How is the RC44 class going?
"Boat number 12 is almost finished in Budapest and the first boat [built] in Dubai is almost complete. So we now have two licensed building facilities and the RC44 Class is growing nicely. We will have eight events this year and should have eight boats on the starting line in the first regatta in Portoroz at the end of this month. We will probably have 10 boats racing by the third or fourth event."
You seem to be a fan of the TP52 circuit ... why?
"I think these new, faster, more high-performance boats are bringing a lot of people back into the sport. I have competed two years in the fleet and have not sailed as well as I want to, finishing second and sixth. So hopefully this year will be better!"
We understand this year you are sailing a new TP52 that is being built at Cookson Boats in Auckland for Torbjorn Tornqvist?
"Yes. We will be test sailing it this month in Auckland before sending the boat to Europe."
Do you plan to be in Valencia for the America's Cup?
"I will be involved in other events during most of the Louis Vuitton Cup, but I will be following what happens. I'm thinking about going to Valencia to watch the final match."
How do you feel about not being in it? Is there any chance you will rejoin Alinghi for this Cup?
"There is no chance I will rejoin Alinghi. There is no doubt I will miss being involved in the racing. But as a result of not being able to compete in the America's Cup, I have changed direction a bit and sailed a large variety of boats. I must say I am enjoying sailing more high-performance boats and maybe that is where the Cup will head in the future."
Do you still think Alinghi will defend the Cup?
"It is difficult to say who will win. But Team New Zealand, BMW Oracle and Prada are the logical favourites for the Louis Vuitton Cup. Alinghi is probably the favourite for the America's Cup, but it is difficult to say who will win. It should be pretty close."
Around this time there is always plenty of talk about the Cup's future. What would draw you back?
"After this Cup it is definitely time for a rule change. Most people seem to be talking about a two-year cycle rather than four years."
