The Story of the Americas Cup (1851-2024)

About the Author

Ranulf Rayner, born in Devonshire, England, grew up near the sea and as a boy raced dinghies. Later, he was fortunate to share a classic 8-metre yacht, Moonshine, with his brothers. Educated at Eton, where he studied art, and at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, where he subsequently taught, he served as a cavalry officer for twelve years before leaving to travel the world. In 1970 he married Annette, also an artist, and took over the family farms in Devon. Having set up a successful computer company, he met Tim Thompson and, being impressed by his work, began to develop an interest in marine paintings. Always a keen yachtsman, Ranulf now spends much of his time sailing or carrying out historical research.


Born in Hull, England, in 1951, Tim Thompson spent much of his childhood on the tiny island of Herm in the Channel Islands where, intrigued by the changing moods of the sea, he taught himself to paint. In 1961 he moved with his family to Guernsey, where he later gained a diploma in horticulture, before taking up a horticultural position in Plymouth. An accident forced him to give this up in 1979, and he decided to turn his painting hobby into a full-time career. Tim, who travels widely, lives in the heart of Cornwall, where he studies from his growing library of nautical books. Now a leading marine artist, he has held several successful exhibitions.