Murray retained for 37th America’s Cup

The independence of event management has not often been a strength of the America’s Cup. When the Defender is host to the Challengers, and also seeks to not lose the trophy, conflict can occur.

But for all the historic change when Golden Gate Yacht Club became Trustee after their 2010 victory, some of it questionable, no one questioned the enlistment of Iain Murray as Regatta Director for the 34th America’s Cup. Having been a Defense skipper himself, along with a lengthy resume of competitive accomplishment, Murray was seen as unquestionably fair.

Murray navigated a difficult 2013 event in which the newly introduced AC72 proved dangerous, with a fatality leading toward ground-breaking safety standards that are now the foundation for high performance sailing today. His efforts have kept him in the role for the 35th, 36th, and now 37th America’s Cup.

His newly revealed appointment as Independent Regatta Director for the 2024 racing provides the kind of stability desperately needed for a competition uprooted from the defense home of New Zealand to its new venue of Barcelona, Spain.

Murray’s role will see him take charge of all aspects on the water of the 37th America’s Cup and all AC World Series Events in the lead up to the regatta’s start in September 2024.

“It is a huge honor to take on the role as Regatta Director for the 37th America’s Cup that is building up nicely with very competitive teams forming and the promise of too-close-to-call racing in this second generation of the AC75s,” notes Murray.

“I’m also looking forward to seeing how the format unfolds with both the Youth & Women’s America’s Cup in the AC40s which are vital to the future of our sport by offering opportunity and wide fan engagement as well as being a huge marker of intent by the Defender and Challenger of Record.”

His career in the Cup stretches all the way back to 1983 where he joined the crew of the 12 Metre Advance before skippering the 1987 Australian ‘Task Force’ defense syndicate. He was helmsman of Kookaburra II for the 1987 America’s Cup in Fremantle Australia and was ultimately beaten in the Match by Dennis Conner’s Stars ‘n’ Stripes ‘87 having played a lead role in the design (alongside John Swarbrick) of the technically advanced Australian defender.

Further Cup campaigns saw Murray as Chief Executive Officer and Lead Designer of Spirit of Australia in 1992 in the first generation of IACC boats before his final sailing campaign with John Bertrand’s One Australia in 1995 that famously broke in two and sank ahead of a race in the semi-finals.

Widely respected throughout the sailing world, Murray was the Australian representative in the Star Class at the 2008 Olympic Games in China and can also count two Etchells World Championships (1984, 2019) alongside being part of no less than nine, line honors victories in the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race aboard Wild Oats XI.

Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, 2021, the AC75 Class Rule and AC Technical Regulations were finalized on March 17, 2022. The entry period opened December 1, 2021 and runs until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup may be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the venue reveal, confirming it would be Barcelona on by March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup will be held in Summer/Fall 2024.

Teams revealed to challenge defender Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
• INEOS Britannia (GBR)
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA)
• NYYC American Magic (USA)

Training timeline: www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2022/04/21/training-calendar-for-37th-americas-cup/
Additional details: www.americascup.com/en/home