Blake wins award

Press, 28 December 1989, Page 12

Blake wins award

PA Wellington The Sir Bernard Fergusson Trophy for yachtsman of the year has gone to Peter Blake and his crew members in the Bicentenary round-Australia race and the 1989 Whitbread round-the-world race. The award was announced yesterday by the GovernorGeneral, Sir Paul Reeves, who is the New Zealand Yachting Federation patron. Blake has competed in all five round-the-world-races, the only person to do so. He was watch-captain on Condor of Bermuda and Burton Cutter, and used those experiences in organising and skippering Ceramco New Zealand in the 1981 race, Lion New Zealand in 1985 and Steinlager in this year’s event. In these and other races Blake has logged well over 200,000 nautical miles and many major victories. • The two giant Kiwi ketches, Fisher and Paykel and Steinlager 2, have been surfing down waves at 20 knots within 100 metres of each other as the frontrunners battle for the lead in the third leg of the Whitbread round-the-world race from Fremantle to Auckland.

Three days after the start of the 3300-nautical-mile leg to Auckland, the French entry Charles Jourdan was leading a tightly packed bunch with 22 miies separating the first six boats.

Fisher and Paykel was second followed by Steinlager 2, the British boat Rothmans 11, Fortuna (Spain) and the Swiss entry Merit. The leading boats have been averaging a constant 14 knots since leaving Fremantle.