Salt-laden tears for our hero of the sea

Thousands farewelled Sir Peter Blake, reports JOSIE CLARKE.

A still and subdued crowd said goodbye to Sir Peter Blake at the Auckland Domain today.

Around 30,000 mourners spread their blankets and sat in silence throughout the service, listening with pride to tributes and rubbing away the odd tear.

Sir Peter's lucky red socks were everywhere. Children wore them pulled up to their knees while their parents sweltered in heavy Team New Zealand shirts each time the sun blazed though the clouds.

Sue and Jon Monk brought their family out of respect for Sir Peter.

"We've grown up with Peter Blake," said Sue Monk. "And our children have grown up with the influence of what he's created. It's our opportunity to show what we think about him."

Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright told the crowd Sir Peter was a hero - a hero to the boys and girls skittering around the Hauraki Gulf in their P-class yachts, to the rich and famous and to everyone at the service and thousands around the world.

"Farewell Peter Blake. We have too few heroes to lose one in such an untimely way. You have enriched and enlightened our lives," Dame Silvia said.

Warm applause followed Dave Dobbyn's performance of Loyal, his song enthusiastically adopted by Team New Zealand, and again as the service ended with television footage of Sir Peter.

Four of Sir Peter's close friends and sailing companions made moving tributes.

George Johns, who sailed around the world with Sir Peter to take the Jules Verne trophy, recalled how "he just had this way of making everybody part of his team".

"Quite simply, we all loved him and we'll miss him."

Tony Rae, a crewman on Steinlager 2, Lion New Zealand and a veteran of three America's Cup campaigns, summed up the loyalty crews felt for Sir Peter.

"He could have called at any time and said, 'I'm thinking of building a rocket and going to the moon. Are you keen?' My reply would have been, 'I'm with you. When are we going?"'

Rae thanked Sir Peter for sharing his knowledge of the sea, "how to live and make the most of every day, how to take on a challenge and never give up.

"Farewell to a good mate who will always be with us on the water. You were our hero. Pippa, Sarah- Jane and James, you were his heroes."

Simon Gundry, who sailed with Sir Peter on Ceramco, Lion New Zealand and Steinlager 2, thanked him for "those lifelong friends we have and the memories that can never, ever be taken away from us".

Close friend and blakexpeditions executive Alan Sefton promised to do everything possible to keep Sir Peter's environmental mission alive.

The world had lost a "remarkable individual, a proud and special New Zealander, a humble and caring person with a wicked sense of humour, a great human being. We must now endeavour to ensure that Peter did not die in vain".

The final tributes were reserved for Sir Peter's children, Sarah-Jane and James. Sarah-Jane read excerpts from J.R.R. Tolkien's Bilbo's Last Song and James read from the last entry in his father's log written from the Seamaster.

The service ended in silence as the New Zealand flag, the Blakexpeditions flag and the red socks flag were slowly lowered from the stage.

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Peter Blake, 1948-2001