SAN DIEGO (AP) — Star sailor Russell Coutts is returning to San Diego with his own regatta 15 years after he took the America’s Cup away from the United States.
The RC 44 Championship Tour season opener will be sailed on San Diego Bay from March 2-6.
The RC 44 is a high-performance, 44-foot sloop co-designed by Coutts, a four-time America’s Cup winner. He skippered New Zealand to a five-race sweep of Dennis Conner off San Diego in 1995 to claim the oldest trophy in international sports.
Coutts is CEO of San Francisco-based BMW Oracle Racing, which won the 33rd America’s Cup in February. Coutts and BMW Oracle Racing’s owner, software tycoon Larry Ellison, are expected to compete together in the San Diego regatta.
Coutts says San Diego is a great place to sail and is surprised it doesn’t host more regattas for professional sailors.