Sir Peter Blake 1948-2001.....A real true Kiwi Icon....R.I.P

I guess if you live in NZ you would have heard the tragic news about Peter Blake today. Gunned down on his boat in the Amazon River for a few watches and a outboard motor by pirates
For those who never knew this man, he was i true Kiwi who will be sadly missed here in NZ.

*Winner of the round the world yacht race.
*OBE
*MBE
*Sailor of the year
*Who can forget the day he won the Americas Cup for the first time from the USA in 1995 then successfully defended it in 2000.
*The list goes on

Like i said before....if you dont live in NZ you wont really worry, but to us here in NZ it has been a very sad day.
I even brought his red sox to help fund his boat !!!

A very sad day indeed. I thought it was a joke at first when I heard it this morning on the news. You don't expect to hear of someone being killed by pirates in 2001!! Very sad that the news was in fact true.

RIP Sir Peter Blake :(

I actually heard of this yesterday... Sad world we live in...

The bit that got me was that he was killed by Pirates, I was thinking Eye-patched, rum drinking bucaneers, but as it turned out they were just thugs in motorbike helmets.

I'm not EVEN from down under, but I feel your pain and share in your loss. Anyone that follows the Cup races knows Mr. Blake. He will be missed....:(

The thing I found shocking was that there are still pirates around. Not trying to make light of a somber situation, but PIRATES???:confused:

Such a bloody waste of a guy...i still cant believe it.

A real loss, not only to New Zealand but the rest of the world.
Not only was he a great sailor, (the worlds best infact) but he was also a great and passionate environmentalist.
When Jacque Coustoe retired he speficly asked Sir Peter to take over running his organisation, and it was in this role that he was leading an expition into the Amazon rain forest when the boat was invaded by 7 thugs.
He died doing to things he really cared about, Boating and saving the environment, and by all standards is a true hero, and great Kiwi bloke.
He will be missed by the whole country.

(its a shame theres no way of flying our little country flags at half mast.)

I see they caught 7 of the bastards today :devil: :devil:

And all of these $h!+heads are anti-enviromentalists, give them the death penalty and be done I say!!!

Peter Blake was a national Kiwi Icon. He will be sorely missed and has contributed so much to the America's cup Kiwi racing.

God speed Peter. My prayers are with your family.

..and for a camcorder, a watch, and a compass (a present from the Queen)...

2001 has been a very sad year for all of us, and i still can't believe how someone can shoot a great man like Sir Peter Blake, what is this world coming to? :(

I didn't know there were still pirates around :confused:

how'd they find the people that did it?

Originally posted by gang$tarr


how'd they find the people that did it?

About 9 of them:(

Originally posted by gang$tarr
I didn't know there were still pirates around :confused:

how'd they find the people that did it?

From what i heard Peter shot one of them in the hand. When he went to get medical treatment they tracked him and the rest of his gang down

so there are really pirates out there?
that live on a boat and just go around stealing stuff from other boats?

Originally posted by gang$tarr
so there are really pirates out there?
that live on a boat and just go around stealing stuff from other boats?

Yep....they life along the rivers by the towns and pick on the boats of the "rich" to rob them of there money etc

that's really messed up to rob people like that why don't they just bug off? i mean to steal isn't truely something to brag about...it's demeaning and utterly stupid...greed always appeals to the masses...i guess that it's true that by nature people are naturally greedy and naturally evil and only by isolation one can overcome this natural evil that has been bestowed on one since their birth:(

Damn I somehow missed this thread.......That was such a tragedy.

I think the Hilary comparisons in the media are completely justified - Sir Peter Blake was a great New Zealander and despite never having the privilege of meeting him, I will not forget him.