Mourners pay tribute to Blake

Sir Peter Blake had lived in England since the 1970s

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark was among mourners paying their respects at the funeral of yachting hero Peter Blake on Friday.

The service took place in a 13th-century church in Warblington, Hampshire where New Zealand-born Blake and his family had lived since the 1970s.

Mourners gathered to say farewell to one of the world's most successful sailors, killed by pirates on the Amazon River on 6 December.

Peter Blake was a living legend - for his courage, for the causes he espoused and for being a decent human being

Helen Clark
New Zealand PM

"Over this past week we have been a nation struggling to come to terms with our grief," Clark told the congregation at St Thomas a Becket church. "The sense of loss has been immense."

The prime minister travelled halfway around the world with her Minister for Sport Trevor Mallard to join an assortment of friends.

Some wore red socks as a mark of respect to Blake who kept on the same pair of red socks throughout the successful America's Cup campaign in 1995.

Clark compared the Kiwi skippers achievements to those of compatriot Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mount Everest.

"Peter Blake was a living legend," said Clark.

"I believe that Peter was held in high esteem for many reasons - for his achievements, for his courage, for the causes he espoused, and for being a decent human being."

New Zealand PM flew to England for funeral

Blake's daughter Sarah-Jane read excerpts from her father's last log, written in Rio Amazonas and a poem by JRR Tolkien, Bilbo's Last Song, during the service.

Blake's widow Pippa thanked the many thousands of people from all over the world who had written to express their sadness at his death.

"Pippa, Sarah-Jane and (son) James are not only mourning the loss of Sir Peter but wish also to celebrate his life of great achievement," she said in a statement.

Twice an America's Cup winner, Blake, 53, was shot dead by masked raiders during an expedition to monitor global warming in Brazil.

He won the Whitbread round-the-world race in 1989, the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994, and was knighted for his efforts the following year.

Blake was a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations environment division and is in line to receive the Olympic Order posthumously.