Ed Baird

Ed Baird

Ed Baird with the America's Cup in Geneva, Switzerland
Personal information
Born	(1958-05-17) May 17, 1958 (age 59) Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales
Medal record Representing  United States Sailing World Championships 2013 Miami TP 52 2011 Porto Cervo TP 52 2005 Calpe Match Racing 2004 Yekaterinburg Match Racing 2003 Riva del Garda Match Racing 1997 Gothenburg Match Racing 1996 Dubrovnik Match Racing 1995 Auckland Match Racing 1993 Perth Match Racing 1983 Malmö J/24 1980 Canada Laser

Ed Baird (born 17 May 1958) is an American sailor. He was a coach of the 1995 America's Cup-winning Team New Zealand and a helmsman for the 2007 America's Cup-winning Alinghi syndicate.

Growing up in Florida, Baird raced in the Optimist class at junior level, before moving onto other dinghies. He won the World Laser Championships in 1980 and the World J/24 Championships in 1983.

Baird joined Team New Zealand as a coach for the 1995 America's Cup, guiding the syndicate to New Zealand's first ever Cup win. In the same year, he won the World Match Racing Championships, and was named the US's Yachtsman of the Year.

In 1999, he skippered Young America in the Louis Vuitton series to determine the challenger for the following year's America's Cup, but the syndicate's challenge faltered when one of its two yachts nearly sank in a race against a Japanese team.

Baird has also ventured into open water racing, having competed in round the world races in 1997–98 (for Innovation Kvaerner) and 2001–02 (for Djuice Dragons). As part of these offshore racing challenges, Baird was a member of the winning team in the grueling, Sydney to Hobart Race in 2000, aboard the maxi yacht, Nicorette II.

As the helmsman of the Alinghi team for the 2007 America's Cup, he led the syndicate to win the series 5-2 against his former team, Team New Zealand. Later in 2007, he was named the International Sailing Federation's male World Sailor of the Year.