Editorial: Memorialise the man, not the boat

Judging by the response of Herald readers, a proposed memorial to Sir Peter Blake in the shape of a glass building encasing the yacht Black Magic has failed to capture the public imagination.

Letters to the paper have been running strongly against the proposal and strongly in favour of a suggestion that Sir Peter be memorialised instead by the acquisition of an island at the entrance to Fitzroy Harbour at Great Barrier.

Some of the advocates might be less interested in finding a suitable memorial to Sir Peter than in co-opting the project's funds to buy Kaikoura Island. But they can say with equal justice that the glass case proposal appears to be primarily an answer to a curatorial problem that Black Magic posed for Te Papa. The sole object of the exercise must be to select the most satisfying monument to a man whose achievements have been a national inspiration.

The glass building for Black Magic comes with the blessing of the Blake family and Team New Zealand, who were closely consulted by the Auckland City Council during months of discussion about a suitable memorial. And officially it is not open to discussion now. The council has announced a partnership with Te Papa to install the yacht in a glass hall over the water alongside the National Maritime Museum on Hobson Wharf. Fundraising has started.

The Government has offered $2.5 million towards the estimated $10 million cost and Lady Pippa Blake has pronounced the proposal "a fitting tribute to Peter's life and works".

None of those involved would relish the prospect of returning to the drawing board but perhaps they should. A closer look at the concept they have produced suggests it will be more of a memorial to the America's Cup than to Sir Peter himself, which may befit the man's modesty but it might not do justice to Black Magic, either. The magnificent Cup-winning boat would have its mast reduced to fit the dimensions of the exhibition case and it will be visibly entombed by the structure - preserved in ice, it may appear.

Worse, suggests Sir Peter's long-time sponsor and mentor Sir Tom Clark, the glass tomb would become covered in salt most of the time. One of the practical considerations for any memorial is that it should not need constant maintenance. Sir Tom prefers Kaikoura Island - "a wonderful idea" - especially, he suggests, if it acquired a camp where people could learn to sail and the island was conserved as creatively as Tiritiri Matangi.

Memorials need to be where people can see them but that need not rule out Kaikoura. The island could be developed with varied recreational attractions to bring crowds to its shores. Black Magic itself could be the centrepiece of a maritime resort there, a modern equivalent of the historic residence that has made Kawau Island a popular destination for yachties and day-trippers.

Discussion of a suitable memorial tends to forget that we have one. Though the Cup has gone and the syndicate bases have closed, the boat harbour that Sir Peter pressed local bodies to build continues to attract strollers and diners and abundant nightlife. It is Blake's Harbour in all but name. Why not give it the name?

In a different age the city would have raised an enduring statue to Sir Peter and posterity would have been well-satisfied. For some reason we do not memorialise people in stone any more and posterity will be the poorer for it.

It is a poor country that has to fall back on memorials to politicians and civic leaders from another century. Adventurers and entertainers can contribute just as much to a nation's excitement and pride.

We need to memorialise this man and not merely the vessel with which he became synonymous. And we need to do it now.