James Blake is working as a reporter on the Volvo Ocean Race and took this main image of Brad Farrand checking the rigging on AkzoNobel. Photo / James Blake / Volvo Ocean Race
James Blake is working as a reporter on the Volvo Ocean Race and took this main image of Brad Farrand checking the rigging on AkzoNobel. Photo / James Blake / Volvo Ocean Race
A journey around the world is helping James Blake feel connected to his late father, Sir Peter, reports Christopher Reive.
James Blake was a toddler when his late father, Sir Peter, won the Whitbread around-the-world ocean race on Steinlager 2 in 1990.
Now, 27 years on, he was getting the chance to understand what it was about the race that appealed to his father as an onboard reporter.
"I think that's actually been one of the bigger things for me," the 30-year-old told the Weekend Herald.
"When you're actually out on the water, most of the time you're getting thrown around, it's wet, it's cold - it's pretty miserable actually - and you wonder why he was out here. And then you'll have a moment of serenity almost and you realise why he did it and why he kept coming back."
Sir Peter died in 2001 when he was attacked by pirates in the Amazon.
Blake has been travelling with Vestas 11th Hour Racing and Team AkzoNobel over the first four legs of the race, and will be heading to Auckland from Hong Kong next week on board Turn the Tide on Plastic.
Blake said the moment he felt really connected to his late father came out of a gear malfunction.
Travelling in the Southern Ocean aboard Team AkzoNobel, the crew had to deal with a broken mast track and had three or four days of slow sailing.
"Still it was seven metre waves around us and albatrosses flying around. To see that and think that was exactly what he saw, for me that was pretty special."
Peter Blake with his wife Pippa, daughter Sarah Jane and son James in 1994 after Blake had completed a non-stop round the world journey on Enza NZ. Photo / Getty Images
As an onboard reporter, Blake spends his time on the yachts battling the conditions, camera in hand, shooting stills and video which he then edits in the designated media room on the vessel.
It's a small, cramped space which he admitted took a lot of getting used to, and much like for the sailors, the conditions could make things difficult when trying to produce content.
"It's one of the trickier things, trying to edit. You can end up doing things double because you're hitting the wrong keys or clicking on the wrong thing, so that's definitely a challenge. And sometimes just keeping the laptop still can also be an issue."
Unlike the majority of those who take part in the race, for Blake, being a part it had never been a childhood dream of his. But from what he had experienced so far, it had become a dream for him.
"It's probably been a bit better [than I expected] to be honest. I've spent a bit of time on the ocean, but particularly the Southern Ocean, that kind of blew my mind a bit at just how beautiful it was. The wildlife down there was fantastic.
"The Volvo's changed quite a bit, but I think what hasn't changed it the sailors and once you actually get out on the water they've still got that same spirit and for me to have a chance to document that is great.
"From that point of view it's been pretty special, but it's also been a bit tougher than I thought, just when it's really rough and stormy you do get thrown around, you are constantly wet and it's quite tough to work in, but that's part of the challenge."
James Blake at the photoshoot of the OBRs at the Volvo Ocean Race headquarters in Alicante.
Blake, who calls himself a Kiwi-Brit, will start a homecoming leg to Auckland for the first time in about 18 months when the race heads to New Zealand next week.
When he arrives in Auckland his mother Pippa and sister Sarah Jane will be there to greet him.
Knowing his father's legacy in the sport in New Zealand, Blake said sailing into Auckland later this month would be one of the highlights of the event.
"It's definitely going to be a special moment for me."
