Russell Coutts can make a pretty good argument for being history’s greatest yachtsman. His achievements include being a part of five teams that won the America’s Cup and winning an Olympic gold medal in 1984.

His latest endeavor may be more challenging than winning any yacht race. Coutts is the chief executive of SailGP, the yacht racing series featuring high-speed sailboats that reach speeds of more than 50 knots.

SailGP, the brainchild of Larry Ellison, the yachting enthusiast and a founder of the software company Oracle, debuted this year and is trying to make its mark in the sports consciousness so people pay attention to sailing more than every few years when the America’s Cup is contested. The series, in which teams compete under national banners, will hold its finale this weekend in Marseille, France, where strong winds are in the forecast and a $1 million prize is on the line, a rarity for what has largely been an amateur’s endeavor.

“This is all about establishing which team can respond best under the pressure,” Coutts said in an interview this week in which he talked about the state of his start-up, his sport, and why his time competing on the high seas has passed.