HAVE you heard the one about the British businessman who went out for a quiet drink at a club in London and got chatted up by a sailor? The tycoon in question was billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and that drink ended up being, by his own admission, ‘the most expensive gin and tonic in history’.
The man he met that evening was Sir Ben Ainslie, not only the most successful Olympic yachtsman in history, but a mariner who had acquired a reputation as one of the most ferocious competitors on the planet. It was 2018 and Sir Ben had recently turned 41, but he was clearly in no rush to hang up his life jacket. He was a man on a mission and he needed help. ‘As a youngster, I had two ambitions in life,’ he said. ‘One was to compete at the Olympics and the other was winning the America’s Cup for Britain.’
Sir Jim was intrigued. After much success running his petrochemicals business, the chairman and CEO of the INEOS Group decided he wanted to get involved in sport (his company would go on to invest in Manchester United, the Mercedes-AMG F1 team and the New Zealand All Blacks) and committed to coming on board. The particular brand of mother’s ruin the two men shared was not specified, but, if reports are to be believed, the bill came in at about £110 million. Then again, if the result was that INEOS Britannia could bring the ‘Auld Mug’ home to Britain after 173 years of hurt, it would be money well spent. Sir Jim’s nautical and patriotic ambitions are obvious: ‘It is the oldest sporting trophy and a trophy we’ve never won,’ he explained. ‘Sailing is part of the British DNA. We did rule those waves for a few centuries, but we’ve never won the America’s Cup.’
Denne historien er fra October 23, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 23, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
