Skipper and helmsman of BMW ORACLE Racing during the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, Russell spoke about the event to Paul Lewis, journalist at the New Zealand Herald. Extracts:



The successful Louis Vuitton Pacific Series has helped light the fires that saw New Zealanders become enthusiastic followers of the America's Cup.



One who will be pleased with that is BMW Oracle CEO and skipper Russell Coutts.



"I think it should be a biennial event,'' said Coutts.



"I have really enjoyed it. Obviously I would have liked a different result at the end but I have thoroughly enjoyed it.



"I didn't come down here with any great expectations, I must admit, I sort of had the attitude that I'd just take it as it comes and see what happened. But it just took off and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would and it was better than I thought it would be.



Everyone won a race, I think, and that has to be good,'' he said. "All the teams came here determined to prove a point and do well and it was good to get people back on the water that just has to be good for the sport.''



Coutts said he would not change much about the regatta, advocating perhaps a more direct format if teams could get longer on the water with the boats beforehand.



He also felt the race committee could look at the bias of the start line and the gates, given the tendency for the courses to be one-sided, meaning that he who wins the start usually wins the finish.



"But, for a first shot, this was a pretty damned good regatta.''