Searle salutes sailing legend

Sir Peter Blake: A towering presence in New Zealand

Greg Searle, who won rowing rowing gold for Britain with his brother Jonny at the Barcelona Olympics, has paid tribute to murdered sailor Sir Peter Blake.

Searle has turned his attention to yachting as part of GBR Challenge, one of ten teams hoping to topple Team New Zealand at the 2003 America's Cup.

And, one week after Blake's death at the hands of Amazon pirates, he has come to understand the Kiwi skipper's stature from his training base in Auckland.

"To New Zealanders, it's like Princess Diana's death was in England," he told BBC Sport Online.

I don't think the sailing fraternity has any thoughts of compromised safety

Greg Searle

"He is a national hero and, in the sailing community, it's just seen as a huge loss that an adventurer has been taken out in such a strange way."

"It is inappropriate for someone as great as that to be taken away like that."

Searle, who scooped Olympic gold in 1992 in the coxed pairs event, is not concerned for his safety, however.

"I don't think the sailing fraternity has any thoughts of compromised safety."

"Being killed by pirates in an out-of-the-way place is obviously quite different to sailing through the Southern Ocean, facing icebergs and treacherous sea conditions."