Paul Pierre Cayard (born May 19, 1959) is an American yachtsman and professional sailor. He has competed at multiple world championship level sailing events, including the America's Cup, the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Volvo Ocean Race and the Olympic Games. In 1998 he was selected as the US Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year. He has won seven world championships, twice participated in the Olympic Games and seven times in the America's Cup. In 2011 he was elected into the US Sailing Hall of Fame. Biography Paul Cayard was born in San Francisco, California. He began sailing in 1967, at the age of eight. He graduated in 1981, with a degree in Business Management from San Francisco State University. He speaks three languages: English, French and Italian. He enjoys flying and holds a pilots certification with instrument rating for single engine aircraft. Of all his sailing accomplishments, he counts his 1988 Star Class World Championship as his most prized victory. Currently, Cayard serves as Executive Director of the US Olympic Sailing Team. From 2019-2020, he served as Chairman of the Board for St. Francis Yacht Club. He is an ambassador for Rolex, the One Ocean Foundation and Vice President of the International Star Class. Cayard is a member of four international yacht clubs; St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco Yacht Club, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and Yacht Club de Monaco. Sailing career From an early age Cayard showed great promise as a sailor and by his early teens was successfully sailing high performance dinghies such as the International 505 and Laser. As Cayard grew and became more proficient in sailing, he gained the notice of Tom Blackaller who invited Cayard to crew for him on his Star class sailboat. Blackaller would become an influential mentor and the Star Class would become a lifelong passion for Cayard. In 1984, Cayard was selected as an alternate in the Olympic Games for the USA sailing team. Sailing in the Star Class, he won the silver medal at the pre-Olympic regatta in 2003, going on to finish 5th at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. Cayard has competed in a broad range of ocean racing events with an impressive record. He won the 1994 Kenwood Cup, the 1994 and 1996 Sardinia Cup and the 1995 Admirals Cup. His top achievement in this arena was becoming the first American to win the Whitbread