Iain Murray (sailor)

Iain Murray (sailor)
Iain Murray (born 14 April 1958 in Sydney) is an Australian sailor and yacht designer
Murray is known for his success in the 18 ft skiff class, appearances in 12-Metre Class yachts in the 1983 and 1987 America's Cup regattas, innovation in yacht design, management of the 2013 and 2017 America's Cup and global SailGP and for winning a second World Championship in the Etchells class 35 years after the first.
Sailing career
Murray started sailing in Flying Ant class dinghies at the age of nine. His first major event win was at the 1973 Australian Cherub Championships at the age of fourteen in a boat he had designed and built himself at the age of twelve.
He won regattas including 6 consecutive 18 foot skiff World Championships, leading to his appearances in 12-Metre Class yachts in the America's Cup regattas, and then for his long-standing involvement with the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. This includes 26 races, and three overall victories, one as a designer, builder and skipper of Bumblebee 5 in 2001.
A 14-year association as tactician and helmsman on super maxi Wild Oats X1 contributed to nine Line Honours victories. For the 2022 Rolex Sydney to Hobart, Murray is sailing master on rival supermaxi Andoo Comanche.
Olympic career
He represented Australia in Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, raced the Olympic Star class keelboat. In the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, alongside Victor Kovalenko, he managed the Australian Olympic Men's 470 team of Mat Belcher and Will Ryan to gold-medal victory.
Sailing awards
Murray won the 18 ft skiff world title, the JJ Giltinan International Trophy, for six consecutive years from 1977 to 1982.
He was recognised as the Australian Yachtsmen of the Year in 1984. In the same year he won the World Etchells championship held in Sydney, a title he won again in Corpus Christi, Texas in 2019 with Colin Beashel and Richard Allanson.
He was awarded Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Yachtsman of the Year in 2020.
Boat design
Murray developed the Nippa 2.65m dinghy for children, and also in partnership with Ian Burns and Andy Dovell, designed the Murray 41, the Sydney 36, 38 and 46, the Magic 25 and classic motor boats such as Cambria 11 and Oscar all built by Azzura Yachts.
America's Cup
Racing
In the 1983 America's Cup challenge at Newport, Rhode Island, Murray sailed on Syd Fischer's Advance. Australia II went on to win the Cup and bring it to Australia. Murray joined Kevin Parry's Taskforce '87 syndicate and co-designed and skippered their Kookaburra yachts. Kookaburra III won the defender elimination trials against three other Australian syndicates including Alan Bond's Australia 111, off Fremantle.
Racing contracts prevented the winning syndicate from amending a boat to meet the waterline length of the American contender Stars & Stripes 87, rendering a proper defense unachievable and resulting in a four nil defeat.
Management
He was Regatta Director for the 34th America's Cup in 2013, 35th America's Cup in 2017, and 36th America's Cup in 2021, and CEO of America's Cup Race Management. He is the Regatta Director for SailGP since its inception in 2018.
References
External links
1958 births
Living people
Australian male sailors (sport)
1987 America's Cup sailors
Sailors at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Star
Olympic sailors for Australia
2000 America's Cup sailors
1983 America's Cup sailors
1995 America's Cup sailors
America's Cup yacht designers
Etchells class world champions
World champions in sailing for Australia
Sportspeople from Sydney
Sportsmen from New South Wales