Paul Pierre Cayard (born May 19, 1959) is an American yachtsman and professional sailor whose career spans Olympic sailing, the America's Cup, and offshore round-the-world racing. He is one of the most accomplished American sailors of his generation, with major victories across multiple disciplines of the sport.
Cayard competed in the Star class at the Olympic Games and was a long-time presence in the America's Cup, where he served as skipper, helmsman, and team leader for several prominent syndicates. His most notable America's Cup achievement came in 1992, when he led the Italian team Il Moro di Venezia to victory in the Louis Vuitton Cup, earning the right to challenge for the America's Cup.
In offshore racing, Cayard achieved international recognition as skipper of EF Language by winning the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1997–98, becoming the first American to win the event as skipper. He later finished second overall in the 2005–06 Volvo Ocean Race as skipper of Pirates of the Caribbean. In addition to offshore success, he has won multiple world championships in keelboat and one-design classes.
Beyond active competition, Cayard has held leadership and governance roles within professional sailing and international sailing organizations. He has served in executive and administrative positions, including leadership roles within the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association. His career contributions have been recognized with induction into the U.S. Sailing Hall of Fame, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, and the America's Cup Hall of Fame.
Biography
Paul Cayard was born May 19, 1959, in San Francisco, California.[1] His father, Pierre, was a carpenter for the San Francisco Opera.[2] Cayard began sailing in 1967, at the age of eight. Cayard attended Crestmore High School.[3] He graduated from San Francisco State University in 1981, with a degree in Business Management.[4]
Sailing career
Cayard’s competitive sailing career spans multiple disciplines, including Olympic keelboat racing, the America’s Cup, offshore round-the-world competition, and professional one-design racing. Over several decades, he transitioned from elite dinghy and Star class competition to leadership roles as skipper and tactician in some of the sport’s most prominent international events.
At the age of 14, Cayard became North American champion in the El Toro dinghy.[2] He showed early promise as a sailor and, during his teenage years, competed successfully in high-performance dinghies such as the International 505 and the Laser (dinghy). As his skills developed, Cayard gained the attention of Tom Blackaller, who invited him to crew aboard his Star class yacht. Blackaller became an influential mentor, and the Star class would remain a central focus throughout Cayard’s competitive career.
Cayard was selected as an alternate for the United States sailing team at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He later returned to Olympic competition in the Star class, winning a silver medal at the pre-Olympic regatta in 2003 and finishing fifth at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Cayard first competed in the America's Cup in 1983 aboard Tom Blackaller's Defender as a jib trimmer, with the yacht finishing third in the defender selection series. For the 1987 America's Cup, he advanced to the role of tactician and alternate helmsman aboard Blackaller’s USA, which was eliminated by Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes in the challenger selection process.[5]
For the 1992 America's Cup, Cayard served as manager and skipper of the Italian syndicate Il Moro di Venezia, backed by Raul Gardini. In 1991, he won the inaugural International America's Cup Class world championship. During the challenger selection series, Il Moro di Venezia defeated seven teams from six countries to win the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup, earning the right to challenge for the America's Cup. The campaign included a successful protest initiated by Cayard regarding the use of a bowsprit by the New Zealand challenge.
In the America's Cup match races, Il Moro di Venezia faced the faster America³. Despite being outmatched overall, Cayard’s team secured a notable victory in the second race of the series, winning by three seconds after leading from the start, which at the time represented the narrowest margin of victory in America's Cup history. Il Moro di Venezia ultimately lost the series 4–1.
In 1995, Cayard joined Team Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes as primary helmsman. Although the yacht was slower than several competitors during the defender series, the team won the 1995 Citizen Cup, securing the right to defend the America's Cup. The syndicate subsequently elected to defend the Cup using Young America, resulting in a 5–0 loss to Team New Zealand, winner of the 1995 Louis Vuitton Cup.
Following the 2000 campaign, Cayard advised the AmericaOne board not to pursue the 2003 America's Cup due to financial and recruitment challenges. The syndicate’s assets were later sold to Larry Ellison, forming the basis of what became Oracle BMW Racing. Cayard served as skipper during the early stages of the program before transitioning into an administrative role and subsequently departing the team.[7][8]
Cayard has competed extensively in offshore and ocean racing, achieving success across a range of major international events. His early offshore accomplishments include victories in the Kenwood Cup (1994), the Sardinia Cup (1994 and 1996), and the Admirals Cup (1995). These results established him as a leading figure in professional offshore racing during the 1990s.
Cayard’s most significant offshore achievement came in the 1997–98 Whitbread Round the World Race, where he served as skipper of EF Language. Over a course of approximately 32,000 miles (51,000km), the team won the event, making Cayard the first American to win the Whitbread Round the World Race as skipper.
In the 2005–06 Volvo Ocean Race, Cayard returned to round-the-world competition as skipper of Pirates of the Caribbean, a syndicate sponsored by The Walt Disney Company. Managed by Cayard Sailing Inc., the team won the final leg into Gothenburg and finished second overall in the race standings.
Other sailing roles
Cayard in 2011
Following his active racing career, Cayard remained closely involved in professional sailing through advisory, leadership, and governance roles. In 2007, he participated in the 2007 America's Cup as a technical advisor to Desafio Espanol 2007 and also provided television commentary for the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup and the 2007 America's Cup for La7, the Italian broadcast rights holder. Later that year, he was appointed sports director for Desafio Espanol for the 33rd America's Cup.
In the same period, Cayard and Russell Coutts announced the creation of the World Sailing League (WSL) in partnership with Portuguese sports promoter João Lagos. Although the series was ultimately not held, the initiative reflected broader efforts to expand professional sailing into a global, commercially focused format. During the 33rd America's Cup, Cayard also served as a commentator for Eurosport.
In 2009, Cayard joined Artemis Racing, owned by Torbjörn Törnqvist, where he served as skipper of the Louis Vuitton Trophy team and as tactician aboard the TP52 Artemis. In 2010, Artemis Racing became Challenger of Record for the 34th America's Cup, with Cayard appointed as chief executive officer. He also helmed the RC44 Katusha on the RC44 Championship Tour from 2010 to 2012.
From 2019 to 2020, Cayard served as chairman of the board of the St. Francis Yacht Club. He is an ambassador for Rolex and the One Ocean Foundation.
In 2020, Cayard became the first sailor inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame class of that year.[9]
Cayard was appointed vice president of the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association (ISCYRA) in 2020.[10] His tenure as executive director of the U.S. sailing team concluded in February 2023.[11][12] In 2023, he was elected president of ISCYRA, succeeding Tom Londrigan.[10]
Personal life
Cayard married Icka Petterson, daughter of Swedish sailor Pelle Petterson, in 1985, and the couple had two children together.[3] They divorced in 2010.
Cayard is a member of several international yacht clubs, including the St. Francis Yacht Club, the San Francisco Yacht Club, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, and Yacht Club de Monaco.[4]
He speaks English, French, and Italian. He also holds a pilot certification with an instrument rating for both single- and multi-engine aircraft. Of his sailing achievements, Cayard has identified his victory at the 1988 Star World Championship as his most personally significant.[4]
The following honors and titles summarize Cayard’s major achievements in offshore racing, one-design competition, and professional sailing leadership.[2]
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