Russell Coutts is not a man who typically takes to social media to answer his critics. That made a lengthy Facebook post published today, directed pointedly at those who have been questioning the SailGP series, something worth reading carefully.
The trigger was the three-boat collision at the New York Sail Grand Prix in late May, an incident that reignited a long-running debate about whether SailGP's racing format has structural problems. Two specific lines of criticism emerged: one calling for upwind starts, the other pushing for changes to the right-of-way rules. Coutts addressed each in turn, and did not soften his responses.
On the upwind start question, he argued the idea falls apart the moment you scale it to a 13-boat fleet. Boats converging on port and starboard tacks at the boundaries would generate immediate disorder, and the reaching format was always a deliberate choice. "Any new sports fan that hasn't had any experience with sailing, they'll be confused" by boats heading in opposite directions at the start. A reaching leg, first to the mark, is something any first-time spectator can follow without needing a sailing education.
The proposed rule changes fared no better. Coutts walked through the geometry: an F50 running on foils measures nearly 11 metres wide. Avoiding a stricken boat at racing speeds demands a course alteration of 40 to 45 degrees. No amendment to the rulebook changes that underlying physical reality, which in his view renders the proposals dead on arrival.
His assessment of the New York collision itself was direct. The cause was a failure to maintain a proper lookout, an obligation that sits at the core of both the racing rules and the international regulations for the prevention of collision at sea. He confirmed that measures will be taken to ensure teams uphold that standard going forward.
With the technical arguments addressed, Coutts shifted his attention to who he believes has been driving the criticism. He accused "a couple of journalists, or so-called journalists," of targeting SailGP deliberately in order to serve the interests of the America's Cup. "The way to enhance the America's Cup is to improve it, to fix it, to make it better. The way to enhance the America's Cup is not to bring SailGP down."
He did not name anyone directly, but within the sailing community the context has not been hard to read. His remarks are widely seen as a response to a post-mortem podcast from The Foil, a new independent sailing media brand launched in 2026, titled "That is not sport," a phrase unlikely to have passed Coutts by unnoticed. Magnus Wheatley, who writes the Rule 69 Substack, has also published pointed criticism of SailGP's long-term viability while making no secret of his enthusiasm for the America's Cup. Both cover the two series. Both have been willing to scrutinise SailGP in ways that much of the established sailing media has avoided.
He closed with a remark that conveyed more about his sense of confidence than any set of numbers could.
"SailGP's grown too big for that now."
From someone who usually allows results to speak for him, that was a deliberate statement.
Go Boating NZ has reached out to Russell to request a direct interview ahead of Halifax, and will update this article when a response is received.
