Peter Blake (sailor)

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Sir Peter Blake , KBE (born October 1, 1948 in Auckland , † December 6, 2001 in Macapá ) was a New Zealand sports sailor and environmentalist . He won several important ocean races , including twice the America's Cup and once the Whitbread Round the World Race . In 1995 Blake was honored by the British Queen for his services to yachting. In addition, he actively campaigned for environmental protection in sensitive habitats such as the Antarctic and the rainforest . In July 2001 he was appointed Special Envoy for the UN Environment Program by the United Nations . In December 2001 he was murdered by river pirates while on an expedition in the Amazon delta.

Sailing career

Peter Blake was born in Auckland in 1948 as the second of four children. He started sailing from the age of five and took part in numerous regattas in his youth. In 1970 Blake moved to England for professional reasons. From 1974 to 1990 he took part in the first five Whitbread Round the World races (now the Volvo Ocean Race ), which he also won in the 1989/90 race with the Steinlager 2 yacht . He spent his honeymoon with his British wife Pippa in 1979 with the transfer of the Heath's Condor from England to New Zealand , where he then started at the Sydney-Hobart Regatta . With a total of five entries in this competition, he has won twice over the years.

In 1994 he won the Jules Verne Trophy with the Enza catamaran for the fastest circumnavigation of the world in 74 days, 22 hours, 17 minutes and 22 seconds. Peter Blake was ennobled in 1995 by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to yachting .

In the same year he led the New Zealand team with the yacht Black Magic to victory in the 29th America's Cup (AC) and defended this title in 2000 with New Zealand in the 30th AC as the first non-American participant. He decided both wins clearly 5-0 for his team.

For his services as a successful skipper in the America's Cup, he was inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 1996 as an Inductee (member) .

Importance as an environmentalist

After the death of Jacques Cousteau in 1997, Peter Blake was acted as the new chairman of the Cousteau Society , but negotiations with the widow and estate administrator of the famous researcher did not lead to a conclusion. He then founded his own company, Blakexpeditions, with the aim of researching sensitive maritime ecosystems such as the Antarctic and educating other people about the peculiarities of such areas. Peter Blake gave up professional sailing in order to devote himself entirely to protecting the environment. From the French researcher Jean-Luis Etienne he acquired the 36-meter-long two-master Antarctica , which was specially developed for such purposes and which he renamed the Antarctic Explorer and, after the failure of the cooperation with the Cousteau Society , the Seamaster . With him he embarked on a five-year expedition that started in Antarctica in order to investigate the melting of ice and its effects due to global warming and environmental pollution. Then he set course for the coast of South America , where he denounced the destruction of the rainforest and the consequences of the slash and burn.

On December 6, 2001, the Seamaster was anchored off Macapá near the mouth of the Amazon, waiting for customs clearance when pirates boarded the boat. They stole an outboard motor and several clocks. After Peter Blake resisted, he was shot by one of the pirates. Two other crew members were seriously injured. The pirates could be arrested and were subsequently sentenced to long prison terms of sometimes over 36 years. Blake's body was transferred to England and is buried in Warblington near Blake's adopted town of Emsworth, Hampshire . In October 2002 Blake was posthumously honored with the Olympic Order and the Laureus Award , which his wife Pippa accepted on his behalf.

The Seamaster was sold and now operates under the name Tara . The bullet holes in the dome are still visible today.

The Blake massif in Antarctica has been named in his honor since 2003 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ America's Cup Hall of Fame: Sir Peter Blake.Retrieved July 21, 2009
  2. ^ BBC: Long sentences for Blake murder , accessed March 10, 2009

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Blake, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blake, Sir Peter (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION New Zealand yachtsman and environmentalist
DATE OF BIRTH October 1, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Auckland
DATE OF DEATH December 6, 2001
Place of death Macapá