Russell Coutts has sailed all kinds of boats, including match-racing in J/44s and J/105s. This past week the America's Cup was on a tour of the East Coast of the United States, with stops at the White House, NASDAQ, CBS Early Show and finally to the former home of the America's Cup, Newport Rhode Island.In the afternoon, the Russell and the BMW/Oracle team entertained upwards of 400 youth sailors from the Narragansett Bay sailing community. The boys and girls, ranging in age from 8 to 16, were welcomed by Coutts, a past youth world champion. As Russell explained:
"You don’t have to be a good Optimist sailor to be a good sailor. When I was growing up in New Zealand I used to read about the races in Newport, but never thought I’d get the chance to compete. I also never dreamed of visiting the White House and meeting the President of the United States. It just shows what you can accomplish with hard work and dedication, and how broad our sport is." Read more on the Sail-World.com site.
