Sir Peter Blake's life and adventures to be published

The life and times and the last great adventure of New Zealand yachting icon Sir Peter Blake will be immortalised in a two-book publishing deal.

Sir Peter's long-time friend and business partner, Alan Sefton, will write the two books, The Last Great Adventure of Sir Peter Blake, and the Biography of Sir Peter Blake, in a deal with Penguin Books.

The books have been endorsed by Sir Peter's widow, Pippa, Lady Blake, and his company blakexpeditions.

The Last Great Adventure will be published in November as a large format, full-colour book featuring photographs and edited logbooks from the final voyage of Sir Peter's yacht Seamaster from New Zealand to Antarctica and up the Amazon and Negro rivers.

Sir Peter was shot dead in December 2001, by pirates on Seamaster near the Amazon River town of Macapa in Amapa state, 1800km north of Brasilia.

The biography spans his life and career and will contain unpublished material about Sir Peter's relationship with the Cousteau family and his reactions to private agendas that developed in Team New Zealand 2000. It will be published late next year.

Sefton was chief executive of Team New Zealand during the successful 1995 challenge and the 2000 America's Cup defence.

- NZPA