For over 160 years the America's Cup has been the world's most prestigious race for ocean-going yachts. This sumptuous book, now in its 7th edition, tells the story of the Cup from the very first race between America and Great Britain in 1851, to the 2010 Oracle win over Alinghi, which took the Cup back to San Francisco, culminating with the fierce battle between Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand three years later in 2013. The book presents a unique collection of beautiful paintings depicting dramatic scenes from every match since 1851, and enlarged details of each painting reveal the artist's incredible attention to detail. As well as the superb paintings by Tim Thompson, all of which have been rescanned to capture the subtle colours and details of the originals and which form the core of the book, there are drawings and specifications of each America's Cup class yacht, along with maps of the Cup courses and line illustrations of every competing yacht. Author Ranulf Rayner describes the battles of the finalists from the very first race in 1851 (both on and off the water), and provides detailed descriptions of the boats themselves, including the latest technologies used to create the sensational racing machines they are today.

Author Biography

RANULF RAYNER was born in Devonshire, England. He grew up near the sea and as a boy raced dinghies. Always a keen yachtsman, he now spends much of his time sailing or carrying out historical research. He lives in Devon. TIM THOMPSON was born in Hull, England and has become a leading marine artist and has held several successful exhibitions. He now lives in the heart of Cornwall.