Yachting: Murdoch clan putting Kerikeri on the map

By Suzanne McFadden

Former racing driver Jim Murdoch chose to put his three children behind a tiller instead of a wheel.

Today all three are sailing for New Zealand.

The youngest of the Murdochs, 16-year-old Andrew, leaves tomorrow for Finland to sail in the world youth championships.

Then he will join Hamish, aged 22, and Rebecca, aged 20, in Ireland for the world teams championships.

Jim and his wife, Clare, will follow their children around the globe and revisit the old haunts from his days in motor racing.

In the 1960s, Murdoch worked as a mechanic for two of the world's leading Formula One teams, Lotus and McLaren. He later drove in the Formula Atlantic class in Britain.

Back in New Zealand, he built cars at home to race in Formula 5000 and Formula Ford, finishing second in the New Zealand championships.

When the family moved from Invercargill to Kerikeri in 1979, they were introduced to yachting.

"Some friends took us out in a keelboat - we'd never been sailing before," Murdoch said. "We loved it, so we got the kids some Optimists.

"Now we just seem to go from one campaign to another."

The Murdochs have helped to put the Kerikeri Inlet on the world sailing map. Hamish, Rebecca and Andrew have all skippered boats in the Kerikeri High School team who have won the national schools championships four times in the last six years.

The two elder Murdoch siblings now flat together in Auckland. Hamish has finished his science engineering degree and Rebecca is studying graphic design.

Rebecca is already a world champion - she and sailing partner Aleisha Thorpe won the world junior women's 470 title in Auckland earlier this year, and have an Olympic campaign for Sydney.

Andrew won the national trials in the singlehanded class for the world championships and will sail in Kupio. He has been travelling seven hours every weekend to train in Auckland under the guidance of former world youth champion Daniel Slater.

In Ireland, the Murdochs will skipper all three doublehanded boats in the New Zealand team. They finished fourth in the world at last year's regatta in Miami.

Murdoch never thought of introducing his children to motorsport. But Andrew says he "wouldn't mind a go."

"It's just that we love sailing so much now. We fully support the kids in it," Murdoch said.

"It's great to get results, but that's not the main aim. The life skills they have got out of it have made the kids a lot more mature for their years, and that helps them outside of sailing."