From the time in 1971 when Peter Blake won the line honours in the inaugural Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro race, a year hardly went by without him adding to his sailing honours board. Races were there to be won; challenges there to be overcome: from the round-world race to Fastnet to the Sydney-Hobart to a round-Australia race.

For all those achievements though, Sir Peter Blake's crowning feat may have been organising and leading the successful New Zealand campaign to win the America's Cup in 1995 - and inspiring a nation to don red socks.

His contributions to New Zealand yachting - and to world yachting - were unique.