Sir
Peter Blake
With more than 500,000 successful racing and cruising
miles, Peter Blake was one of the world's finest sailors.
As the syndicate head for the victorious Team New
Zealand, and as a crew member aboard BLACK MAGIC,
Blake brought a high level of planning, commitment,
and fierce determination to the 1995 challenge. Blake
had led New Zealand's 1992 America's Cup Challenge,
rising to the challenger finals with NZL 20. He competed
in five Whitbread Round the World Races. In 1994,
he set a world record, sailing non-stop around the
world in the catamaran ENZA NEW ZEALAND to win the
Jules Verne Trophy.
Before his untimely death in 2001 Peter was honored
with two Sportsman of the Year awards, four Yachtsman
of the Year awards, and from the Queen of England,
an MBE and an OBE. The remarkable success of Team
New Zealand is a tribute to the inspirational and
organizational abilities of Sir Peter Blake.