new zealand yachtsman killed by pirates

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Peter Blake, the world's leading sailor, shot dead in attack by Amazon pirates

Sir Peter Blake, the world's most famous sailor, who went further and faster then anyone before, was yesterday shot and killed by a group of armed pirates known as "the water rats" in a night-time robbery on his boat in the Brazilian Amazon.

Blake, aged 53, had returned from dinner with his crew in Macapa, a remote city on the northern bank of the Amazon delta, when a gang of up to eight men arrived at his boat by rubber dinghy.

When the gang, wearing motorcycle helmets, made their demands, Blake reached for his gun and shot one of them, according to Brazilian police. In retaliation the robbers opened fire. Blake died from gunshot wounds. Two other members of the crew were injured.

It was a tragic end for the man who dominated the world of sailing for more than a decade, twice securing the America's Cup - the sport's most prestigious trophy - for his native New Zealand. Blake was also the only man to complete five Whitbread Round the World races, finally winning in 1990 when, uniquely, he finished first in all six legs.

"He was a New Zealand hero and everyone will feel a great sense of sadness at his death," Paul East, New Zealand's high commissioner in London, said.

Last night, as tributes continued to pour in from around the world for the man whose other great love was the environment, the New Zealand ambassador in Brazil arrived in Macapa. Brazilian police said the robbers took a watch and the boat's motor. No one has been arrested.

Blake, who was appointed in July as a goodwill ambassador of the United Nation's environment programme, was on a research expedition - sponsored by Omega - that was progressing up the River Amazon. He arrived in Rio de Janeiro on September 12 and headed north up the Brazilian coast. He reached Belem, where the Amazon meets the Atlantic Ocean, on October 2. The crew was planning to sail upstream and reach Venzeuela at the beginning of February.

Blake was travelling with 14 crew, including his daughter Sarah Jane. Nine people were on board the Seamaster yacht when the attack happened, just after 10pm on Wednesday.

The riverside near Macapa is well known for its violence, said a man in the city who did not want to be named. "Blake was badly advised to anchor there," he said. "The police definitely know who did it, but they will only catch them if there is enough international pressure."

Blake arrived in Macapa away from the eyes of the local media. "There is no way the pirates knew who he was. For them he was just another tourist with a large boat."

While on his Amazonian journey Blake kept a log on his website. The last entry was written on Wednesday, the day he died. "Status: still motoring. Conditions: pleasant," he wrote. "Dusk has turned the surface of the river into a greasy grey, with the sky quickly darkening after the sun's orange and golds have gone.

"Again, I raise the question: why are we here? Our aim is to begin to understand the reasons why we must all start appreciating what we have before it is too late. We want to restart people caring for the environment as it must be cared for. We want to make a difference."

Blake, who had started to sail aged five, had achieved what he set out to do in the sport- everything. His domination was a hallmark of his application, persistence and overriding passion for the job in hand. The yacht in which he finally won the Whitbread, Steinlager 2, was built to the limits of the rule for that race. It incorporated his and designer Bruce Farr's thinking and gave him a psychological as well as physical advantage over his rivals.

In those days (1989/90), the race was scored on cumulative time and at the end of the first leg, from Southampton to Punta del Este in Uruguay, Blake had such a commanding lead that he need only sail the rest of the race conservatively to be sure of overall victory.

Buoyed by that success, Blake was sought by Sir Michael Fay to instil a spirit of teamwork into his America's Cup campaign for New Zealand in 1992.

He was devastated by the failure of this campaign, and when Fay stood down Blake picked up the gauntlet, mortgaging his house to pay the $75,000 deposit for a challenge in 1995. At the time he had no support, but he had always had strong backers in his home country and financial leaders provided most of the money needed.

He had, by then, captured the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest sailing circumnavigation with co-skipper Robin Knox-Johnston aboard the 92-foot catamaran Enza. His "lucky red socks" - knitted for him by his wife Pippa - became an icon. 500,000 pairs were sold in New Zealand, with half a million dollars helping the challenge fund.

Black Magic, with Blake as skipper, lost only two races in the challenger trials and went on to win the cup in straight races. He received a knighthood, and managed the successful defence of the Cup in 2000, again winning in five straight races.

He had earlier become head of the Jacques Cousteau Foundation. Blake took the foundation's specially designed boat and set off on scientific exploration in Antarctic waters twice before opting for further scientific research up the Amazon.

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Fifteen years ago we said goodbye to one of the greatest sailors in history, Sir Peter Blake

Fifteen years ago Sir Peter Blake died, shot and killed by pirates while monitoring environment change on the Amazon River on 5 December 2001. He was 53 years old.

Sir Peter James Blake was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the 1989–90 Whitbread Round the World Race, held the Jules Verne Trophy from 1994 to 1997 by setting the fastest time around the world as co-skipper of ENZA New Zealand, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup.

On 5 December 2001, pirates shot and killed Blake while he was on an environmental exploration trip in South America, monitoring global warming and pollution for the United Nations. The two-month expedition was anchored off Macapá, Brazil, at the mouth of the Amazon delta, waiting to clear customs after a trip up the Amazon river. At around 9 p.m. a group of six to eight armed, masked robbers wearing balaclavas and crash helmets boarded the  Seamaster . As one of the robbers held a gun to the head of a crewmember, Blake sprang from the cabin wielding a rifle. He shot one of the assailants in the hand before the rifle malfunctioned; he was then fatally shot in the back by assailant Ricardo Colares Tavares. The boarders injured two other crew members with knives, and the remaining seven were unhurt.

The only thing seized by the attackers was a 15 hp outboard motor and some watches from the crew. Authorities eventually captured the pirates and sentenced them to an average of 32 years in prison each; Tavares, the man who fired the fatal shots, received a sentence of 36 years. Prior to the attack, the yacht’s crew had been very careful when travelling up the river and back down again; they always had crew members on watch. Only upon return to Macapa did they relax their guard.

In honour of his services to yachting, Blake was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995, and received an honorary doctorate in 2000 from Auckland University of Technology.

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Suspects held over sailor's death

MACAPA, Brazil -- Seven men have been arrested over the killing of New Zealand yachting legend Sir Peter Blake.

Blake, considered one of the most successful yachtsmen in history, was killed Wednesday night by hooded pirates who stormed his moored Seamaster vessel near Macapa, at the mouth of the Amazon River.

Police are still searching for an eighth suspect, who local media said had piloted the bandits to Blake's ship.

Blake, 53, who won yachting's most high-profile trophy -- the America's Cup -- twice, had been on an environmental expedition on the Amazon River and was preparing to head up the Orinoco River in Venezuela before his death.

Brazil's President had earlier given "express orders" that everything possible would be done to find the criminals -- including police scouring the waterways and rain forests of the remote Amazon hunting for the pirates.

Police in Macapa had earlier quizzed Blake's fellow crewmembers aboard Seamaster, two of whom were injured in the attack.

The pirates made off with watches, cameras, an inflatable dinghy and one of the boat's engines.

New Zealand Ambassador to Brazil Denise Almao was also in Macapa to assist in the inquiry after rushing there when news of Blake's death broke on Thursday, bringing shock among New Zealanders and sports personalities around the world.

Knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Blake was best known for winning yachting's most glittering prize -- the America's Cup -- in 1995 and 2000 with Team New Zealand.

As New Zealand woke up to the news of Blake's death, tributes flowed in for one of the most successful yachtsmen in history. Friend and compatriot Grant Dalton called him "a tough, fair competitor."

"He was an unusual sort of guy, as many great men are. He was driven by a desire to win but not just that. He was driven by a desire for fair play, to give people a chance," Dalton told Sky television in Sydney.

Dalton's words echoed tributes on Thursday from New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark, who visited Blake on his ship in the Amazon last month, and sporting personalities.

According to an initial police report, Blake's crew resisted the attack. Blake was shot in the back and two crewmen were injured. One of the pirates was shot in the hand.

The Seamaster's cook alerted police in Macapa who arrived at the scene of the crime an hour later.

Environmental expedition

A statement from the trip's sponsors said: "The group of seven or eight armed and hooded intruders boarded Seamaster at approximately 10.15pm local time.

"Sir Peter was fatally shot and two other members of Seamaster's crew were injured, one with a gunshot wound across the back, the other with a blow to the face.

"Both injured men are back aboard Seamaster after receiving hospital treatment. The other seven Seamaster crew were badly shaken but unharmed."

Blake, who died at Macapa Hospital an hour after the attack, had been taking part in the expedition to raise international awareness of the environment.

He had set up an organisation, Blakexpeditions, with the aim of protecting life in, on and around the waters of the world.

In July 2001, he was appointed Special Envoy of the United Nations Environment Programme. He was the first New Zealander to be given this role with the United Nations.

He kept a daily log on a Web site about his progress.

The log for Thursday read: "Location-Rio Amazonas. Status-Still motoring. Conditions-pleasant."

Blake said in his log that the boat had been travelling down the Amazon at night.

"Dusk has turned the surface of the river into a greasy grey -- with the sky quickly darkening after the sun's orange and golds have gone," he wrote.

"We always hope for a clear night and tonight the moon will be up soon after 9 p.m. but this means two and a half hours of real blackness before then.

"There are flashes of lightning up ahead -- with the radar showing a band of rain stretching out either side of our course. There are lights of ships, barge traffic, ferries and small towns."

Sporting achievements

Blake won the prestigious Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989 and captured the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994 with a record-breaking non-stop voyage.

The New Zealander was the only man to compete in the first five Whitbreads and his 1989-90 victory in Steinlager 2 came with an unprecedented clean sweep as his team walked off with line, handicap and overall honours on each of the race's six legs.

Steinlager 2 beat a field of 23 boats from 13 countries.

Blake and his crew had already completed a trip to Antarctica and set out on their Amazon journey in September.

Blake's numerous sporting accolades included two New Zealand Sportsman of the Year awards and four New Zealand Yachtsman of the Year awards.

He was also chosen to succeed the late Jacques Cousteau as captain of the marine research vessel Calypso 2.

In his log, he wrote: "Again I raise the question -- Why are we here? What has been the point of leaving Antarctica in March, refitting in Buenos Aires over the southern winter then undertaking the long haul north to spend some time in the Amazon."

Later he answered the question.

"We want to make a difference," he wrote.

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Renowned New Zealand Yachtsman Killed in Amazon

By Larry Rohter

• Dec. 7, 2001

Sir Peter Blake, one of the world's leading yachtsmen, was shot and killed late Wednesday night when a gang of masked robbers boarded his vessel as it lay anchored in a harbor near the mouth of the Amazon River.

According to the local authorities, Sir Peter's yacht, the Seamaster, a 130-foot aluminum ketch-rigged research vessel, was attacked by a group known as the Water Rats who prey on sailors.

''It was a holdup, he resisted, and they shot him twice,'' said Rosilene Serra, a police official in Macapá, a city of 250,000 people that is the capital of the state of Amapá, on the north bank of the Amazon.

The police said two other crew members were hospitalized as a result of the attack, one with a bullet wound and the other with cuts and bruises that were said to have been suffered in a scuffle with the robbers.

Sir Peter and his crew of at least 10, including researchers, arrived at noon on Wednesday and told the harbor master they intended to stay two or three days. When the robbery occurred, the vessel was anchored about 250 yards off a beach near the harbor.

José Araújo Filho, a spokesman for the Federal Police in Macapá, said the attack occurred about 10 p.m., after a small boat pulled up alongside Sir Peter's yacht. Two armed men came aboard, leaving one behind on their boat.

The police said the robbers escaped in their craft with a motor and various personal possessions.

The Brazilian television network Rede Globo said the robbers wore helmets and stockings over their faces to hide their identity. The network reported that there was an exchange of gunfire and that one of the assailants was wounded in the hand.

Sir Peter, 53, headed the New Zealand crew that won the America's Cup in 1995 and 2000. After the second victory, he became head of expeditions for the Jacques Cousteau Society and captain of the society's oceanographic research boat, Antarctic Explorer.

When he left the society several months later, he bought the vessel and renamed it Seamaster. He was in Brazil as part of an expedition to explore the Amazon River and one its main tributaries, the Rio Negro, as well as the Orinoco River.

''They were sitting on the boat when it was attacked by a group of pirates who came to steal what they could, cameras and watches and stuff like that,'' said Denny White, whose brother-in-law was one of the crew members injured in the attack.

''One thing led to another and Peter got shot,'' Mr. White said in a telephone interview. ''They were armed when they came on board.'' Mark Baker, an American boat captain who is a veteran of 15 years of navigation in the Amazon and president of Ecotour Expeditions Inc., which conducts boat tours of the region, said the attack was extremely unusual.

''There have been robberies on vessels in harbors before, but usually the robbers are after very small pickings,'' he said.

Though the Amazon is vast, remote and only lightly policed, many commercial and tourist boats choose not to be armed at all, so confident are they of their security. That policy stands in sharp contrast to that of the Caribbean, where attacks on seagoing vessels of all sizes are far more common.

Sir Peter and his crew left his native New Zealand in November 2000 and sailed across the South Pacific to South America. After stops in Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego, he arrived in Rio de Janeiro in September and announced plans for his current expedition in Brazil.

''We want to get to know the place and the environment,'' Sir Peter said at a news conference then. ''The guide says we will visit some unexplored places.''

''This is the kind of sailing I like,'' he added. ''We're not sailing to win a trophy but to influence the world.''

Among the stops on the itinerary Sir Peter mentioned then were caves that are decorated with paintings and are accessible only when water levels are low.

He said his expeditionary group also planned to visit the Yanomami Indian tribe, which lives in the Rio Branco area in northern Brazil and Venezuela.

Sir Peter's expedition was part of what he described as a five-year project to visit and draw attention to ''the most important aquatic environments in the world.''

In recognition of his interest in environmental issues, the Cousteau Foundation recently designated Sir Peter as skipper of the Calypso II, a research vessel that is to carry on Mr. Cousteau's tradition of maritime exploration.

Sir Peter was a five-time veteran of the Whitbread round-the-world race, and was skipper of the winning entry in 1989-90 aboard Steinlager 2.

In 1992, he was brought in to manage the New Zealand America's Cup challenge in San Diego, an effort that ultimately failed but gave Sir Peter his first taste of the event.

He was co-skipper of the 92-foot catamaran Enza New Zealand when it set a record for nonstop circumnavigation of the world in 1994 with a time of just under 75 days. That year, he was knighted for his contributions to sailing.

In 1995, he was named the syndicate head for Team New Zealand for the New Zealand America's Cup challenge in San Diego. He was also on board as a crewman when New Zealand won the cup in five straight races.

For 2000, Sir Peter's role with Team New Zealand was purely administrative but no less successful. In its first defense, New Zealand held on to the cup with a 5-0 rout of Italy's Prada Challenge.

Robert Scheidt, the Brazilian sailing champion, said Sir Peter was ''the father of sailing for us.'' He said, ''It's sad that this happened on our territory.''

Mr. Araújo said that Sir Peter's body was being held at police headquarters in Macapá pending an autopsy. Asked if the police had any clues to the identity of the killers, he said they did not.

Revealed: The documentary footage filmed on Sir Peter Blake's final voyage

Sir Peter Blake's boat Seamaster is returning home to Auckland tomorrow for the first time since he was killed on board in 2001.

The two-time America's Cup winner was making a documentary series about the oceans and the environment when he was killed by pirates.

Newshub has exclusively obtained never-before-seen footage of Sir Peter on that final journey, and sat down with his wife Lady Pippa Blake, to watch it.

While filming the documentary, Sir Peter questioned: "What can one person, what can one crew on one boat do? Why bother? We can do a lot."

By then, he had already done a lot.

He was the first to win New Zealand the America's Cup, twice claiming victory in the yacht race. They were the underdogs funded by the Red Socks campaign - Sir Peter's lucky red socks originally given to him by Lady Pippa.

The country loved its champion yachtsman, the likes of which had never been seen before. He was a hero and when he died, killed by pirates, his death stunned the country.

Now, for the first time, we can show you what he was filming on his final voyage. His death was so unexpected the footage was boxed up and put away, emerging only now, 16 years later.

In the videos, Sir Peter detailed his dream for Blake Expeditions.

"I see it like a snowball - start very small and gradually get bigger and bigger and bigger," he said.

"It's going to be starting from the bottom up. I want to get to every classroom of every school in the world, long-term."

Lady Pippa now lives in England but continues to work with the Auckland-based Sir Peter Blake Trust, which digitised the footage.

"To actually see him speaking and speaking about his mission and his original intent for Blake Expeditions, it was just wonderful to actually witness that and see that again and be reminded of how he was, really, himself as a person," she told Newshub while watching the videos for the first time.

Sir Peter was a Kiwi bloke, a yachtsman-turned-television presenter, and he didn't always get it right on the first take. The hidden footage reveals the human behind the icon, with bloopers aplenty.

"It's really hard," he jokes at one point after flubbing a line several times.

Sir Peter was one year into a five-year adventure, filming ecologically significant regions to document their fragility and to inspire people to want to protect them.

It's a documentary series which never reached completion, cut short like Sir Peter's life.

He was 53 years old when the so-called 'river rats' boarded Seamaster. They didn't know they were killing a Kiwi icon.

Sixteen years on, Lady Pippa says it doesn't get easier.

"I can still well up with tears and cry about it... I've never felt angry about it there was no point," she said.

"Quite often we'd say, 'Gosh, what would we be doing now? What would Dad be doing now? What would Peter be doing now?'. And you know, he was cut off in his prime."

When Sir Peter died, Blake Expeditions came to an end. Lady Pippa sold the boat Sir Peter adored and a French family bought it, vowing to continue his legacy.

"He loved that boat... He was not a super yacht, luxury cruising person at all, he needed function," Lady Pippa said.

"As he saw Seamaster he realised that she was the right boat for him. I used to call her like a ' Mad Max machine'."

Now after 16 years, the legendary schooner has made it to New Zealand. She's been tucked away in Whangarei ahead of her Auckland homecoming.

Newshub was granted exclusive access to board and go below decks, and there remain remnants of Sir Peter everywhere - red socks, a book, and a photograph of him.

On the night he died aboard Seamaster, Sir Peter wrote what was to be his final diary entry. In it he posed the universally important question: Why are we here?

"We need to appreciate the things we have before it's too late," he wrote.

"We need to restart people caring about the environment like it must be cared for. We want to make a difference."

In a way, he's still making a difference. The boat is now called Tara and since his death, it's travelled more than 300,000 kilometres on scientific expeditions.

Its new captain Samuel Audrain says he's sure they're continuing Sir Peter's old work.

On Saturday, the boat which once sailed away with so much excitement and hope will return to New Zealand. But this time, the great Kiwi leader won't be on board.

Lady Pippa knows it'll bring a flood of memories, but she hopes it'll remind people of everything he stood for.

"He was this tall, shaggy, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Kiwi, who was passionate about his country," she said.

"He loved New Zealand, he loved what New Zealand stood for, and I think that's what he should be perhaps most remembered for."

In his final video recordings, Sir Peter said his goal was for everyone to watch his documentaries and consider how they could help protect the oceans and environment.

"I want to get into people's living rooms regularly, I want people to want to watch what we're doing," he said.

"We're not doing just your ordinary old documentaries. This is going to be documentaries with a difference.

"Why bother? It's too important not to. For all of us. Think about it."

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Amazon pirates who killed yachting hero get 37 years

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Six robbers who murdered the New Zealand yachtsman Sir Peter Blake after storming his boat on the river Amazon have been given jail sentences of up to 37 years each by a Brazilian court.

Sir Peter, 53, one of the most revered sailors in yachting history, was shot in the back resisting the pirates – known as "river rats" – last December. The gang had boarded his 119ft yacht, Seamaster , from asmall boat, planning to rob it. He tried to hold them off with rifle-fire.

The men were convicted of armed robbery and robbery ending in death by the regional federal court in Macapa, capital of Brazil's impoverished jungle state of Amapa, 1,800 miles north-west of Rio de Janeiro. The ringleader, Ricardo Colares Tavares, 23, who confessed to firing the fatal shots, was given the maximum sentence of nearly 37 years by the judge, Jose Magno Linhares Moraes. Five other assailants were jailed for between 27 and 37 years, and three were given suspended sentences.

Sir Peter, whose boat was anchored near Macapa, near the mouth of the Amazon, was planning to head out to sea the following day. He and his crew of 10 were on a worldwide expedition to monitor global warming and pollution for the United Nations Environment Programme, which named him a special envoy in 2001. They were returning from a two-month stay in the upper reaches of the Amazon and Rio Negro.

New Zealand was plunged into mourning after the death of the national hero who led a team that twice won the America's Cup, yachting's most prestigious prize. The Prime Minister, Helen Clark, flew to Hampshire – where Sir Peter had lived since the Seventies – for his funeral, and thousands of people attended a memorial service in New Zealand.

Ms Clark, who had visited Sir Peter in Brazil a month before he died, welcomed the verdict yesterday. "Although the verdict will not bring Sir Peter back, it will at least give the Blake family the consolation of knowing that his killers have been brought to justice," she said.

Sir Peter's brother, Tony, said the sentencing came as a relief. "There's certainly no less sense of grief for what happened to Peter, but it does bring a sense of closure to the family," he said. "Nothing can bring him back. He just had an incredible drive and energy, and that's gone."

The six men wearing hoods and motorcycle helmets boarded the Seamaster at about 9pm. Sir Peter went to the cabin, returned with a rifle and opened fire, wounding one bandit in the hand. Tavares shot Sir Peter twice in the back, and wounded two crew members. The gang fled in their boat.

The pirates confessed within days, but said they acted in self-defence. But the judge said Sir Peter had been faced with an "arbitrary and illicit" attack and dismissed the gang's claim that he fired the first shot. He said defence arguments that Sir Peter would be alive if he had reacted differently were "absolutely unacceptable, pure conjecture and vain speculation".

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Was Sir Peter Blake’s murder planned?

• Dick Durham
• May 16, 2007

Legend murdered to prevent illegal loggers' report

Was the murder of top New Zealand yachtsman Sir Peter Blake, 54, who was shot dead by gun-toting ‘pirates’ in the River Amazon in 2002, a planned killing?

According to a respected Blue Water yachtsman, whose name is known to me, and who was cruising in Brazilian waters in recent months, it was. ‘I heard it from two different sources while myself and my wife were cruising there,’ my informant tells me. ‘One of those sources was a female journalist from a German news organisation.’

So the story goes Blake was about to blow the whistle on companies involved in illegal logging of the South American country’s rain forest. Before he had the chance to do so he was killed.

Certainly illegal logging was a major problem in Brazil at the time of his death: the country had been losing tens of thousands of square kilometres of rain forest, an area the size of Greece, in the previous few years.

And the year after his death Brazil’s environment enforcement agency, Ibama, arrested 17 loggers who had allegedly cut down 10,000 hectares of prime timber.

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Sir Peter Blake remembered by sailors around the world

The carefree confidence of ocean sailors everywhere was no doubt shaken by news that New Zealand sailor Peter Blake was shot to death aboard his boat in the Amazon last week. Evidence that trickled out from authorities in the small Brazilian town of Macapá suggested that Blake, using a rifle, was apparently attempting to fend off the pirates that had boarded his yacht Seamaster and were threatening his crew at gunpoint when he was shot dead.

The world's sailing community mourns the loss of this man, who inspired many by his determination and generosity. New Zealanders especially responded with force, flying flags at half-mast and contributing messages to newspapers. Following is a collection of quotes and stories from the New Zealand Herald, contributed by Tere Batham:

"The flags on yachts in the harbor flew at half-mast, despite a half gale blowing. In Auckland, at the Team New Zealand compound, two large banners in the form of enormous red socks flew as an ironic tribute to the man who had taken New Zealand sailing sport to heights never reached before. Sir Peter Blake’s life inspired a generation of Kiwis by skippering yachts four times in round the world Whitbread races until he won, and then heading up Team New Zealand to bring back the America’s Cup to New Zealand, where it was successfully defended in 2000."

"Team New Zealand Chief Executive Ross Blackman was inconsolable. Sir Peter was one of his best mates: 'He wanted to make a difference; he certainly did when he started Team New Zealand. The culture we have, the way we live our lives, the way we run things certainly has the Peter stamp on it.'"

"Russel Coutts, who skippered the successful challenge and the defence for Sir Peter, the last year abandoned Team New Zealand in a shock defection to Swiss syndicate Alinghi, was ashen with shock. 'The thing I liked about Peter most was that he was a fair guy,' Coutts said. 'He was a great leader, straight up and down. He had opinions, but he never held a grudge. We had some good times which were fantastic — nothing will change that.'"

"Mark Orams, a scientist and weather analyst returned from visiting the Seamaster crew on the Amazon River a fortnight ago: 'Dr Orams said it was tragic and ironic that a man who so often risked his life at sea was killed not by an iceberg or a storm, but by a man.'"

Peter Hillary: "Like my father, Ed Hillary [conqueror of Mt. Everest] there was one thing that he did that was truly great, it was that he showed us all by repeated demonstrations that 'one man can make a difference.' … And the one man or woman should be each and every one of us. What always came through for me was the sense of purpose this individual had and his sheer integrity."

Alan Sefton, who runs Blakexpeditions from Emsworth, England, broke the tragic news to Lady Blake after being contacted by crew on the Seamaster: "She’s devastated, but bearing up," he told the Weekend Herald. "I think Pippa always recognized that she had married a particular type of man and that was part of the man she loved." She had flown home only last Friday after spending a month with her husband on Seamaster.

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron made Sir Peter a life member in 1995. Squadron commodore Peter Taylor said Sir Peter was an inspiration.

Letters to the editor, Sunday Herald:

"As a twentysomething in this country, I have been inspired by Sir Peter over my years growing up in Auckland. (His) death is heart-wrenching to say the least. I have lost a hero. New Zealanders have lost a hero." –K. Nally of Herne Bay

"This awful act robs a family, a city, a nation and arguably the world of one of the true icon adventurers of all time. Father, husband, friend, business associate, ambassador for NZ without par, Sir Peter Blake was all of these things and more to so many New Zealanders." –Mark Baker of Unsworth, NZ.

Interviews with people around Russell, a Mecca for yachtsmen both local and from overseas.

"For all his greatness, he broke one of the cardinal rules. When you are being mugged, give ’em the goods and save your life!" –Barry Price, Russell boat owner.

"He was a man that might have saved the world." –Andy Pederson, U.S.-registered Yacht Jakaranda, now based in New Zealand.

"I felt only disbelief at first. However, he confronted these fellows with a gun. My impression is that he shouldn’t have done that. He had potential to do good work, as Sir Edmund Hillary did. Not only what he did was important, but what he could do. His potential was not fulfilled." –Lindsay Alexander, yachtsman.

"Crikey, what a shame. What a waste." –Arnold Price, visiting yachtsman from Manchester, England.

"I think it's terrible because it happened in my homeland, South America, and because a man who was an icon for this country was killed. It was a double tragedy for me." –Martha Meyer, of yacht Siome, based in Bay of Islands, NZ.

"I feel cheated. I personally think he was a good man, with his charisma and accomplishments he could move mountains." –Jackie Stevens, NZ yachtswoman.

"Absolutely tragic. If he came up with a gun it was the wrong thing to do! I was mugged in Santos, Brazil, in 1979. There was nothing I could do with a knife at my throat and my head in a half-Nelson. Eight guys ripped out my pockets, took my passport and money. Don’t come up shooting! In Columbia I confronted some guys in a dugout with a gun. It was 3 AM and raining. They had my binoculars, outboard, and camera. But then I thought, 'Life is so cheap here. I waved at them and let them go.'" –Rick Blomfield of NZ charter yacht Phantom.

"Peter’s death was pretty horrific. A good job he was doing with that environmental thing. It’s a big loss to New Zealand. I first met him in ’81 when he sailed around the North Island in a two-man race out of Davenport. I’ve followed all his races. His death may make the New Zealand team even stronger. Just a feeling you get." –Joe Cotton, car ferryboat skipper between Opua and Okiato, Bay of Islands.

Following is a list of links from around the world that describe the tragedy and the responses to it:

For up to date news visit the New Zealand Herald's website: www.nzherald.co.nz

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=232839&thesection=news&thesubsection=general&thesecondsubsection=

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=232821&thesection=news&thesubsection=general&reportID=62070

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/la-120601blake_wr.story

By Ocean Navigator

Navigation for News Categories

Memorial opened in honour of sir peter blake.

A memorial to New Zealand yachtsman Sir Peter Blake has been officially opened in Auckland.

Prime Minister John Key and Sir Peter's wife, Lady Pippa Blake, attended the ceremony at the Voyager Maritime Museum of New Zealand at the Viaduct on Saturday.

Sir Peter, a world-class yachtsman and environmentalist, was killed in Brazil by pirates on the Amazon in 2001.

The Blue Water Black Magic exhibition commemorates Sir Peter's life, work and achievements.

The winning boat from the 1995 America's Cup, Black Magic NZL 32 forms the centrepiece of the $9.5 million memorial, which also includes photographs, videos and displays documenting his life.

Lady Blake says the memorial to captures the essence of her husband's adventurous spirit and knows he would have supported the exhibition, as it shows others his world, his stories and the causes he believed in.

"One of the most appealing aspects of the exhibition is the ongoing opportunities it will offer young people to learn about Peter's achievements and to be encouraged to work hard towards their own goals.

"Like many New Zealanders of his generation, he did not see the barriers - just the opportunities and the adventure."

Lady Blake says her family has no doubt the exhibition will be a lasting source of inspiration for generations to come.

The Prime Minister paid tribute to Sir Peter, saying he is the kind of New Zealander that makes us feel proud, and the kind of person we want our children to grow up to be.

"He is a New Zealander that is sadly missed, but he's a New Zealander that left his mark. This is a wonderful way of us demonstrating what he meant to New Zealand and what he meant to yachting around the world."

The exhibition is free to the public until 9pm on Saturday.

Copyright © 2009 , Radio New Zealand

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Yachting: Blake Killed by Pirates

BRASILIA, Brazil -- America's Cup winner and adventurer Peter Blake has been killed in a gunfight with hooded pirates who stormed his ship at night in Brazil's Amazon, officials said Thursday.

New Zealander Blake, one of the most successful sailors in yachting history, was aboard his Seamaster vessel with his crew on an environmental expedition up the Amazon River when they were attacked by the pirates.

Blake's ship was anchored on the river near Macapa, the capital of Brazil's poor Amazon jungle state of Amapa when the bandits slipped on board to rob his ship. Macapa is close to where the massive Amazon River flows into the ocean.

Blake was on his way out to sea after an environmental-awareness expedition thousands of miles up the Amazon when the pirates boarded.

"He was probably shot twice in the back," a spokesman for Brazil's federal police said. The police report said Blake had shot at the invading bandits with a rifle, most likely wounding one of them, before being killed.

Two other crew members on the Seamaster were wounded. The pirates stole several watches, cameras and an inflatable dinghy. The police launched a manhunt for the pirates who had fled by boat.

New Zealand's ambassador to Brazil rushed to Amapa to establish the facts about the death of a man who was one of his country's best-known sporting personalities. New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark traveled to the Amazon to visit his ship during a trip to Brazil last month.

"He was a New Zealand hero and everyone will feel a great sense of sadness at his death," Paul East, New Zealand's High Commissioner (ambassador) in London, told Reuters.

Brazil, which may be embarrassed by the killing of such a high-profile personality in the lawless Amazon region, also lamented the loss. "It was with profound sadness that I heard of the tragic death of explorer, sportsman and scientist Peter Blake," Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso said in a letter to Clark.

Brazil's Robert Scheidt, elected the world's top yachtsman in 2001 and Olympic gold medalist in the Laser class, lamented that "this absurd episode occurred precisely in Brazil."

"Peter was a real legend in his country and one of the most respected figures in yachting and it is a tragedy that will hurt the image of the country abroad," Scheidt said in a note.

Blake, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, won yachting's most high-profile trophy -- the America's Cup -- in 1995 and 2000 with Team New Zealand.

He won the prestigious Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989 and captured the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994 with a record-breaking nonstop voyage.

Chay Blyth, one of Britain's most accomplished yachtsmen, said Blake would be "sorely missed" by everyone in sailing.

"It's incredible -- really, very sad," said Blyth, whose promotions company Challenge Business organizes the BT Challenge round-the-world yacht race. "He was a very quiet man, there was nothing flash about him and he achieved so much in sailing."

Blake kept a daily log on a web site about his progress.

By Carlton Reid

By Emily Mullin

By Steven Levy

By Andy Greenberg

The log for Thursday read: "Location-Rio Amazonas. Status-Still motoring. Conditions-pleasant." He said in his log that the boat had been traveling down the Amazon at night.

"Dusk has turned the surface of the river into a greasy gray -- with the sky quickly darkening after the sun's orange and golds have gone," he wrote.

"We always hope for a clear night and tonight the moon will be up soon after 9 p.m. but this means two and a half hours of real blackness before then.

A meticulous planner and a gifted leader, Blake's fierce determination to win always inspired immense loyalty from his crews and unlimited confidence from his backers.

He was the only man to compete in the first five Whitbreads and his 1989-90 victory in Steinlager 2 came with an unprecedented clean sweep as his team walked off with line, handicap and overall honors on each of the race's six legs.

Blake was also chosen to succeed the late Jacques Cousteau as captain of the marine research vessel Calypso 2.

In his Seamaster log, he wrote on Thursday: "Again I raise the question -- Why are we here?"

Later he answered the question: "We want to make a difference."

Reece Rogers

C. Brandon Ogbunu

Jason Parham

Sofia Barnett

Kate Knibbs

Louryn Strampe

Murdered yachtsman to be buried in England - NZ PM

New zealand yachtsman sir peter blake, killed on wednesday by hooded pirates at the mouth of the amazon river, is to be buried….

New Zealand yachtsman Sir Peter Blake, killed on Wednesday by hooded pirates at the mouth of the Amazon River, is to be buried in England, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said today.

Ms Clark said she had spoken to Blake's wife Lady Pippa.

"It is her wish that Sir Peter be buried in Emsworth, the village in South England where they have made their home together, and then she and her family intend to proceed to New Zealand for a memorial service in Auckland before Christmas," Ms Clark said in a statement.

Mr Blake died after he was shot by pirates boarded his Seamaster yacht moored near the Brazilian town of Macapa.

"Dates cannot yet be precise because of her desire to see the crew of the Seamaster fly to the United Kingdom for the funeral," Ms Clark added.

Seven men suspected of the killing were detained by police late on Thursday, while an eighth was still being sought.

Police said four of the men had confessed to attacking the vessel, saying they fired the shots that killed Blake in self-defense.

Mr Blake, 53, was considered one of the most successful yatchsmen in history, twice leading New Zealand to victory in the sports highest profile competition, the America's Cup.

Prime Minister Clark had visited Mr Blake and the Seamaster, which was on an environmental expedition, during a trip to Brazil last month.

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Pirate tragedy: Kiwi dad shot dead, wife attacked with machete on boat in Panama

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The Culverwell family were on what was supposed to be a dream holiday aboard their new boat. Photo / Supplied

Pirates shot a New Zealand man dead at close range with a shotgun before attacking his wife with a machete after boarding the family's vessel under the cover of darkness in Panama.

The dead man is 60-year-old Alan Culverwell, a former paua diver from Picton, who was remembered last night as a dedicated, loving husband and father.

His traumatised wife and two children, one of whom was also injured during the attack, remain in hospital and distraught relatives are rushing from New Zealand to be by their side.

The perpetrators, who wore hoods and stole an outboard engine during the attack, are still on the run. Local authorities are vowing to bring them to justice.

It was supposed to be the journey of a lifetime for the adventurous Kiwi family.

They left home before the chill of winter, bought a boat for a bargain in the United States and let the warm trade winds start them on a journey home to New Zealand that was expected to take up to two years.

But they only made it as far as the central American country of Panama before crossing paths with the pirates who would violently alter the course of their lives.

Around 2am local time on Friday, Culverwell, who had worked frequently in the Chatham Islands, emerged from the sleeping area of his family's 65-foot launch while it was off the Guna Yala region, on the country's northern coastline.

He'd woken to a noise on the vessel's roof.

But when he went to investigate — in an incident that has similarities to that of Kiwi sailing legend Sir Peter Blake, who was shot by pirates on a vessel near the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil in 2001 — he paid with his life.

Culverwell's sister Derryn Hughes told the "Herald" her brother had been shot at "very close range" with a shotgun.

His wife Derryn was then attacked with a machete, suffering a shoulder wound, and one of their children also suffered minor injuries. Derryn Culverwell later called for help to New Zealand.

The three surviving family members are receiving treatment in hospital in Panama City.

Arrangements are being made to bring Culverwell's body back to New Zealand.

Derryn Hughes said her brother was a dedicated, loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend to all.

"His family were his everything. Nothing could have prepared us for the attack that took place overnight and has tragically taken Alan's life.

"We want to assure you all that Derryn and the children are safe, while understandably traumatised.

"We are so grateful they survived ... and we will [support] them through the coming days, weeks, months and years."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade would only say it was responding to an incident involving a New Zealand family in Panama.

"Due to privacy considerations, no further information will be provided."

But a source in Panama told the "Herald" Culverwell was killed in an attack by pirates. She didn't have any further information.

A report by the Spanish-language media outlet "Mi Diario" said the incident took place on May 2 near the island of Dad Naggwe Dubbir, and the attackers wore hoods and stole a boat engine.

The Culverwells are used to the gentle sway of the water below their feet.

Their journey began when they sold their beautiful and isolated home in the Marlborough Sounds. The home near Picton could only be accessed by boat.

Paua Industry Council chief executive Jeremy Cooper said that having searched the world for a nice boat for years, they used the money from the sale of their property to buy a "big 65-footer" in Florida.

"It was a beautiful big boat that had been owned by someone with way too much money and [Culverwell] just timed it perfectly, he bought it in Florida for way less than had been spent on it," he said.

The family then flew to Florida and "decked out the boat and started driving it home".

Facebook posts showed the couple posting a glowing review in March on the page of a Florida marine service company that installed solar panels and other gear on their boat.

They also stopped off at the Panamanian island of Bocas del Toro where they played volleyball and became good friends with the owners of the Drunken Monkey Panama bar, which has room for boats to pull up alongside it.

The Pacific Puddle Jump website showed the family were due to leave shortly for French Polynesia as part of an annual and social sailing event.

Cooper told the "Weekend Herald" the paua community was rallying behind the family and trying to raise money to support them.

"A number of people have already rung me today to say 'how can we contribute'," Cooper said.

There would also be costs associated with bringing Culverwell's family home and working out what to do with their boat, Cooper said.

He said Culverwell was known as a "legend" in the Chatham Islands paua industry for being an early campaigner for catches to be managed sustainably.

"He certainly put his shoulder to the wheel ... [and did] the hard graft when other people were still talking about it," Cooper said.

Cooper had known Culverwell since the early 1990s. He had also known Culverwell's school-teacher wife Derryn for decades, since she taught his children when they were young.

A "brilliant teacher", Derryn had been home-schooling the couple's children on their boat as they made their two-year journey home.

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Pirate tragedy: Kiwi dad shot dead, wife attacked with machete on boat in Panama

It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime for Alan and his young family. But in the cover of darkness, they were set upon by pirates.

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Pirates shot a man dead at close range with a shotgun before attacking his wife with a machete after boarding the family’s vessel under the cover of darkness in Panama.

The dead man is 60-year-old Alan Culverwell, a former paua diver from Picton in New Zealand, who was remembered last night as a dedicated, loving husband and father.

His traumatised wife and two children, one of whom was also injured during the attack, remain in hospital and distraught relatives are rushing from New Zealand to be by their side.

The perpetrators, who wore hoods and stole an outboard engine during the attack, are still on the run. Local authorities are vowing to bring them to justice.

It was supposed to be the journey of a lifetime for the adventurous Kiwi family.

They left home before the chill of winter, bought a boat for a bargain in the United States and let the warm trade winds start them on a journey home to New Zealand that was expected to take up to two years.

But they only made it as far as the central American country of Panama before crossing paths with the pirates who would violently alter the course of their lives.

Around 2am local time on Friday, Culverwell, who had worked frequently in the Chatham Islands, emerged from the sleeping area of his family’s 65-foot launch while it was off the Guna Yala region, on the country’s northern coastline.

He’d woken to a noise on the vessel’s roof.

But when he went to investigate — in an incident that has similarities to that of Kiwi sailing legend Sir Peter Blake, who was shot by pirates on a vessel near the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil in 2001 — he paid with his life.

Culverwell’s sister Derryn Hughes told the New Zealand Herald her brother had been shot at “very close range” with a shotgun.

His wife Derryn was then attacked with a machete, suffering a shoulder wound, and one of their children also suffered minor injuries. Derryn Culverwell later called for help to New Zealand.

The three surviving family members are receiving treatment in hospital in Panama City.

Arrangements are being made to bring Culverwell’s body back to New Zealand.

Derryn Hughes said her brother was a dedicated, loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend to all.

“His family were his everything,” she said.

“Nothing could have prepared us for the attack that took place overnight and has tragically taken Alan’s life.

“We want to assure you all that Derryn and the children are safe, while understandably traumatised.

“We are so grateful they survived … and we will [support] them through the coming days, weeks, months and years.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade would only say it was responding to an incident involving a New Zealand family in Panama.

“Due to privacy considerations, no further information will be provided.”

But a source in Panama told the Herald Culverwell was killed in an attack by pirates. She didn’t have any further information.

A report by the Spanish-language media outlet Mi Diario said the incident took place on May 2 near the island of Dad Naggwe Dubbir, and the attackers wore hoods and stole a boat engine.

The Culverwells are used to the gentle sway of the water below their feet.

Their journey began when they sold their beautiful and isolated home in the Marlborough Sounds. The home near Picton could only be accessed by boat.

Paua Industry Council chief executive Jeremy Cooper said that having searched the world for a nice boat for years, they used the money from the sale of their property to buy a “big 65-footer” in Florida.

“It was a beautiful big boat that had been owned by someone with way too much money and [Culverwell] just timed it perfectly, he bought it in Florida for way less than had been spent on it,” he said.

The family then flew to Florida and “decked out the boat and started driving it home”.

Facebook posts showed the couple posting a glowing review in March on the page of a Florida marine service company that installed solar panels and other gear on their boat.

They also stopped off at the Panamanian island of Bocas del Toro where they played volleyball and became good friends with the owners of the Drunken Monkey Panama bar, which has room for boats to pull up alongside it.

The Pacific Puddle Jump website showed the family were due to leave shortly for French Polynesia as part of an annual and social sailing event.

Cooper told the Weekend Herald the paua community was rallying behind the family and trying to raise money to support them.

“A number of people have already rung me today to say ‘how can we contribute’,” Cooper said.

There would also be costs associated with bringing Culverwell’s family home and working out what to do with their boat, Cooper said.

He said Culverwell was known as a “legend” in the Chatham Islands paua industry for being an early campaigner for catches to be managed sustainably.

“He certainly put his shoulder to the wheel … [and did] the hard graft when other people were still talking about it,” Cooper said.

Cooper had known Culverwell since the early 1990s. He had also known Culverwell’s schoolteacher wife Derryn for decades, since she taught his children when they were young.

A “brilliant teacher”, Derryn had been homeschooling the couple’s children on their boat as they made their two-year journey home.

This article originally appeared on the New Zealand Herald and has been republished with permission.

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Sir Peter Blake - Killed by Pirates

Link to Reply from IMO

I am sure you are well aware of the tragic death of New Zealand Yachtsman Sir Peter Blake, Shot dead in a pirate attack last week in Brazil.

It is difficult to see how anything positive can come from such a shocking tragedy but I believe the attack and murder of such a high profile person can be turned into some good, no matter how painful the process may be.

We have a duty to seafarers and their families world wide and the maritime community in general to use this attack and murder to bring sharply into public and political focus the ongoing and quickly rising levels of piracy with which the worlds seas and coastal areas are becoming plagued.

I would suggest the following immediate action be taken.

I fully recognise the enormity of the task facing some governments and the various agencies in combating piracy especially in those countries faced with large populations, poverty and internal conflict but the fact remains that piracy is getting quickly out of hand. The world is changing fast with regard to safety and security, powerful and modern weapons are not hard to come by.

Piracy is changing its face to much more organized, persistent and violent attacks. The motivation to carry out an act of piracy is changing, people are less and less motivated by poverty and more motivated by crime and underworld connections as well as the simple criminal goal of a low risk chance of easy money. In what other criminal activity can a determined group of persons lay their hands on large amounts of money and valuable goods with little or no chance of detection or capture?

Without input and action at the highest International and Diplomatic Governmental levels there will be no positive results achieved in combating and reducing piracy at sea.

I feel the tragic death of one of the worlds finest seafarers at the hands of pirates should be a catalyst for an instant renewed level of awareness and action at the highest of international levels.

It would be tragic if a safer and more secure maritime environment did not arise out of Sir Peter Blake's death.

Unfortunately clever words are not enough. Real input is required by those who have influence at the highest levels.

Without this immediate and motivated stance there will be no chance of discernible change where it matters most, that is on the decks of the vessels plying the oceans and rivers of the world regardless of vessel type, yacht or super tanker the goal would be the same. To reduce the alarming increases in pirate attacks.

IMO will be holding a Security Conference in December 2002 I see this as an excellent platform to further explore the avenues available for combating piracy (terrorism) at sea. I'm sure the shocking events of the 11th September will be the catalyst for much of the Security Conference. I would suggest that Sir Peter Blake's Death at the hands of Pirates be the Catalyst for Security at sea with regard to piracy.

I would be more than happy to receive any comments.

Yours Sincerely Captain Trevor Whelan. MNI, IFSMA Individual Member Chairman New Zealand Branch The Nautical Institute.

SEE ALSO IFSMA RESOLUTION CONCERNING PIRACY - LINK ON WELCOME PAGE