Sir Peter Blake was born in Auckland, and spent his
childhood on and around the Hauraki Gulf. The Blake family loved to
sail. They always had yachts and would spend weekends and holidays
sailing together. Even during term-time the Blake children would
spend hours after school rowing around the harbour and the
mangroves at the bottom of the garden.
From a young age, Sir Peter Blake was a talented and
competitive sailor. He started racing his P-class yacht Pee Bee
with the Takapuna Boating Club, and won the New Zealand Junior
Offshore Group Championship in 1967-68 in his yacht Bandit - a boat
he built himself on his parents' front lawn.
Sir Peter Blake went on to become one of New
Zealand's greatest yachtsmen - competing in five Whitbread Round
the World Yacht Races (now the Volvo Ocean Race) and eventually
skippering Steinlager 2 to victory in 1990 - 17 years after he
first attempted the race. He followed this up in 1994 with a win
and a new record in the Jules Verne Challenge on board the
catamaran ENZA, sailing around the world in 74 days, 22 hours and
17 minutes.
Sir Peter then turned his attention to what is
arguably yachting's greatest prize - the America's Cup - as manager
of the 1992 challenge. However, it wasn't until 1995 that New
Zealand truly made its mark on the cup, with NZL 32 "Black Magic"
beating the defender, Team Dennis Connor, in the 29th
America's Cup in San Diego. It was during this challenge that Sir
Peter Blake's lucky red socks, a gift from his wife, Lady Pippa,
emerged - and quickly became a national obsession! Every day Sir
Peter wore his red socks on board Black Magic the boat
was victorious out on the water. In fact, the only race Team New
Zealand lost throughout the entire campaign was the day that Blake
remained on-shore with an injury. Back at home, red sock fever
gripped New Zealand, with New Zealanders wearing red socks to
support the boat and the proceeds from these helping to fund the
syndicate. Almost overnight, Team New Zealand became a team of 3.6
million!
Team New Zealand then became the first non-American
team to successfully defend the Americas Cup, beating Prada 5-0 in
2000. Sir Peter Blake was the syndicate head of Team New Zealand
throughout this period, and was appointed a Knight Commander of the
Order of the British Empire in honour of his services to
yachting.
Having achieved all his major sailing goals, and
because he felt he had gained so much from his career at sea, Sir
Peter Blake wanted to give something back. He was determined to
pour his energies into building public awareness of the threats
facing the environment, particularly water, through his
environmental organisation - Blakexpeditions.
Tragically, Sir Peter Blake was killed in Macapa,
Brazil on 6 December, 2001 at the end of a two month expedition up
the Amazon River. His untimely death shocked New Zealand and
the country mourned the loss of a talented sailor, an inspiring
leader and a dedicated family man. Today, Sir Peter Blake lives on
through a number of organisations and events that bear his name,
including The Sir Peter Blake Trust, Sir Peter Blake Marine
Education and Recreation Centre and the Sir Peter Blake Memorial
Torbay Youth Regatta.
He is survived by his wife, Lady Pippa, and children
Sarah-Jane and James.
News & Events
Red Socks Day
Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards: Nominations Open