Blake was probably New Zealand's greatest living sportsman, knighted for his contributions to yachting several years ago and the architect of our two America's Cup triumphs. I remember attending the street parade for the winning team in 1997 when they did their victorious post-regatta tour of the country. Now, us N.Zilders are a fairly stoic bunch at the best of times but sporting victories seem to inspire the masses more than anything else - people lined the length of George Street while several sustainable forests worth of confetti rained down from the offices above. And everyone cheered and laughed and smiled. And it was nice that it wasn't rugby for a change.
We'll all remember Blake's achievements. Everyone knows the supporters songs, wore the red socks and watched the races religiously on each occasion. No one man probably embodied our national spirit more. He will be missed.
‹ 7.12.01
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