Tim Sperry

About the Author

Tim Sperry is the author of Lazarus World Voyage: A Hurricane Wreck Circumnavigates the Globe and the founding president of Sperry Tents. Raised in Marion, Massachusetts, he grew up sailing and working in his father Steve Sperry’s sailmaking business. He graduated from Tabor Academy in 1986 and earned a degree in economics from the University of Rochester.

In October 1992, Tim, his brother Matt, and three friends departed Marion aboard Lazarus, a 41-foot sailboat they had restored after Hurricane Bob. Sailing as equal partners without a designated captain, they covered nearly 30,000 nautical miles during a two-and-a-half-year circumnavigation. They returned in May 1995. Lazarus World Voyage recounts their sailing adventure, from ocean passages to everyday life aboard.

In 1996, Tim established Sperry Tents as a separate rental business, building on his father’s original sailcloth tent designs. While Matt focused on manufacturing, Tim developed the rental operation and expanded the company into an international network of licensed providers serving outdoor weddings and events. He continues to lead Sperry Tents and its original rental office, Sperry Tents Marion.

In discussing his approach to business, Tim emphasizes trust, the value of skilled employees, and the strength of working with family. Those commitments have helped shape a company that carries New England’s sailing heritage into weddings and events around the world. Away from work, he shares his love of sailing and skiing with his wife, Nikki, and their three children. The sea remains a lasting thread connecting his upbringing, his working life, and the story he tells in Lazarus World Voyage.