Sleek research vessel honours link to Sir Peter Blake

Captain Samuel Audrain, of France, says the portrait of Sir Peter is a tribute to the great sailor and his link with the vessel.PHOTO/John Stone

In her day she must have looked like a craft ready to discover the Moon.

A sleek brushed aluminium hull and a pod like capsule for the captain to peer through to keep the craft on course.

She might not have gone into outer space but Tara, a 36m long yacht, has certainly discovered the outer regions of the world's oceans.

The rugged and purpose-built research schooner was once owned and sailed by New Zealand's Sir Peter Blake but tragically she also became the place he died after pirates stormed aboard and shot the 53-year-old dead in 2001.

The vessel sailed into Whangarei last Sunday and docked at Oceania Marine Ltd for routine maintenance work. She will sail to Auckland and be open to the public before returning to Whangarei for more work, including being lifted out of the water and antifouled.

Sir Peter Blake's former yacht Seamaser, now known as Tara, sales up toward Whangarei for repairs PHOTO/ Jodie Bryant

It is her first visit to New Zealand since the death of Sir Peter.

Captain Samuel Audrain, of France, is only too happy to do a guided tour of Tara, which he says was designed for science research not racing.

"She's not fast but very powerful," says the French sailor standing on deck.

She's 36m long, 10m wide and 27m high. The hull is 16mm thick and in -40C the aluminum becomes more dense.

Samuel reckons when you are sailing when surrounded by ice it's great to know the boat was designed to drift in freezing cold, inhospitable conditions.

Tara, the late Sir Peter Blake's former research yacht is in Whangarei for repairs and is her first visit to New Zealand since Sir Peter was killed by pirates.

The vessel was the brainchild of French explorer Jean-Louis Etienne who enlisted the help of engineers and architects in order to sail through some of the toughest environments in the world and launched in 1989.

Samuel explains he spent 11 months on the boat surrounded by ice in the Arctic. They had to wait for the ice to melt and shift before they could sail away.

"She is wide and heavy so when she is in the ice, the ice can push slowly and the boat lifts up."

There is a small inflatable boat on the deck for the divers and at the rear there is a " wet lab" for the team of scientists to use during expeditions.

Currently the crew are halfway through a two-year oceanographic voyage studying coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean.

Step through the grey door into the wheel house and you step into the vessel's control room. Leavers, buttons and radar and computer screens line the bubble like capsule.

At the helm in a capsule-like wheel house.

With his hand resting on the helm, 38-year-old Samuel explains he has captained the boat for the last three years on a five months on and five months off rotation. He joined the crew 10 years ago as a deckhand.

Step down into the lounge and galley area and the boat opens up. There are 16 people onboard which includes 6 crew members, a chef, 7 international scientists, a journalist and an artist. While the galley may be small it still houses an oven and microwave.

Proceed forward to the living and work area and you can't help but notice the bold black and white framed portrait of Sir Peter. He bought the boat in 1996 and named her Seamaster.

"This is to acknowledge his link to this vessel," says Samuel pointing to the portrait.

The rooms are tiny and one also doubles as a space for an impressive looking microscope.

Down the narrow hallway a former bunk room has been modified into a "dry lab" for scientists.

Then there is the space housing the desalinator - allowing salt water to be turned into fresh water, the dive tank compressor. Down the back is the captain's compact cabin leading through to the engineer's cabin and the engine room, where the laundry is located. It's more like the inside of a submarine in these spaces.

"We have to adapt to living on board in a small space."

Part of Tara Expeditions is to promote their work and when they dock in Auckland's viaduct on July 1 the doors will be open to the public.

The crew will share their knowledge and understanding of their scientific work.

"It's a privilege to go back to where Sir Peter had a real link with."

Dive team supervisor David Monmarche pitches in and helps with repairs on Tara.

Adjacent to Tara there will be an exhibition housed in containers, so the public will get an understanding of the fantastic work Tara has, and still does achieve around the world.

Oceania Marine Limited marketing manager Jim Lyon said it was a great to have such a vessel choosing Whangarei as a place to carry out the work and it highlighted the reputation the city was getting for doing such work.