Peter van Oossanen is a Dutch scientist, naval architect and author. He was a principal scientist at the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) from 1969 to 1991. His research on sailing yachts, between 1976 and 1982, resulted in the design of ‘Australia II’ that won the America’s Cup in 1983—the first time the USA lost to a challenging nation since 1851. In 1992, Peter founded the first of the Van Oossanen Group of companies working in the field of yacht and ship design. He was author of the definitive text on the resistance and propulsion of ships in 1988. His work in the field of ship hydrodynamics earned him various awards and medals. After he retired in 2013, he wrote five books about the science of sailing. In 2020, he embarked on a career as an author of novels.