Donor Spotlight: Jim and Kate Murray

February 15, 2024

by Diane Foote

Jim and Kate Murray know firsthand the joys and benefits of participation in active, outdoor athletic pursuits. Each has pursued a sporting passion from childhood—sailing for Jim and equestrian eventing for Kate. That shared lifetime of competitive passion is a major reason they have chosen to support the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation, whose mission is "to bring the joys and benefits of boating to all."

In particular, Jim articulates their vision for Chicago youth sailing: "I want to see the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation, working hand-in-glove with the Chicago Yacht Club at the Belmont Station, energize and expand access to youth sailing for all Chicagoans. My dream is that we can offer the same kind of broad community access to sailing that Boston Community Boating has done for decades. Every kid can get a library card, and reading is the gateway to imagination and education. Every kid should be able to get a 'skipper’s card,' and the access to personal physical and intellectual growth that sailing enables."

Jim himself learned to sail early, crewing his family's cruising sailboat alongside his parents and three sisters. He began junior sailing at age 8 at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in Michigan, then continued sailing through college, going to an early version of the High School Nationals and racing on the Harvard Sailing Team from 1991-95. 

Following a 15-year hiatus to focus on career and family, Jim took up racing again in Chicago aboard the J/109 Callisto in 2010. Team Callisto won the J/109 Fleet Championship three times, the J/109 Buoy Championship four times, and her section in the NOOD (now Helly Hansen Regatta) and the Verve several times each.

Jim's current endeavors include helming the J/70 Hestia (pictured) and two offshore-oriented Callisto platforms: one a newly refit J/125, set to compete in both Races to Mackinac this summer (Bayview and Chicago); the other a TP52 on which the team has competed in a series of legendary offshore events, including the Transpac, the Newport-Bermuda Race, the Caribbean 600, the Pineapple Cup, and (most recently) the King’s Cup in Phuket, Thailand.

Jim cites his crew philosophy, which parallels his interest in helping kids get out on the water. "We’ve emphasized getting amateur sailors, including college dinghy sailors and sailing newcomers from the Midwest, to these epic offshore events alongside a crew of veteran ocean-racing pros," he says. "The goal is to create a platform where everyone becomes a better sailor by doing these races.” 

Jim also races Callisto Racing’s J/70 Hestia with a pro-am model, in this case sailing with two Lake Forest Junior Sailing instructors, Will Howard and Steve Leuck. “We bring one pro along to help us learn the platform in events on Lake Michigan and in Miami / Key West type venues in the winter." Will, Steve, and Jim won last September’s J/70 North American One-Pro Championship at Belmont, under the guidance of legendary offshore headsail trimmer Mal Parker of Tasmania.

Jim describes what excites him about being out on the water: "Sailing is a way to connect with nature in a way that modern life just can’t match. It’s you and your friends and your collective wits and wisdom, working as a team to harness Mother Nature in the pursuit of every possible knot of incremental boat speed. Sailing is a tradition that goes back thousands of years but has fallen too far out of the mainstream due to the cost of entry. To me, sailing is an unparalleled opportunity for adventure, and it is incumbent of my generation of sailors to ensure abundant opportunity exists for Chicago’s youth to get in the game."

Jim and Kate feel strongly that such opportunities should be available to all. Kate says, “As parents, we know how important it is for kids to be active outdoors as they grow up. Jim and I want to support organizations like the Foundation that enable healthy athletic pursuits in nature for all children in Chicago, regardless of background or financial means. We think enabling kids of all ages from all Chicago neighborhoods to go sailing on Lake Michigan—and benefit from the self-confidence and decision-making skills that it teaches—is about as worthy a cause as we can imagine." 

Please consider joining the Murrays in supporting the Foundation and in turn, the young people of Chicago, by learning more about our programs and consider making a donation here.