Newspaper Article 1994 – At the helm of HB slide show

At the helm of HB slide show

New Zealand’s top ocean racing yachtsman, Peter Blake, was in Hastings yesterday to show slides and a video outlining his successful round-the-world race earlier this year.

Blake, sailing the catamaran Enza, won the Jules Verne Trophy and broke the race record by more than four days.

James Jemson, shipping and distribution manager for the New Zealand Apple and Pear Marketing Board, who was with Blake yesterday, said the company had been thrilled with the venture.

“The yacht was a fantastic vehicle for brand Enza,” Mr Jemson said.

“We got tremendous publicity from the race both here and overseas,” he said

Blake said the catamaran averaged 22 knots for the entire journey, but, on the opening stages after leaving England, it went a lot faster. The crew experienced more difficult times in the southern oceans which were cold with huge seas.

Blake, who is now involved in the America’s Cup campaign, leaves for England on Saturday week to inspect the final tank testing for the syndicate’s second boat.

“I’ll have five days at home in Auckland with my family before going to England. I’ve got to get some Brownie points with them,” he said.

The tank testing in England is fully automated, using what Blake described as the most powerful computer in New Zealand.

“The tests have gone very well on the first boat,” Blake said.

He was confident of his syndicate’s chances in the cup, but said there was still a lot of work to be done.

Photo caption – Peter Blake, right, with the deputy chairman of the Apple and Pear Marketing Board, Napier’s Jonathan Moffett, prepares to give a slide and video presentation of his success in the round-the-world race earlier this year to board employees at the Angus Inn, yesterday.