I was 21 years old when Sir Peter Blake won the Whitbread round the world race in 1989. Since then, Sir Peter, with his long blond hair and moustache, became a national icon in my home country of New Zealand.

But it wasn’t until I read this book that I got to know the true depth of character and amazing adventures of Sir Peter. Four things about his life that continue to inspire me are his sailing skill, his courage, leadership and his passion for the environment.

Of course, Sir Peter is a legendary sailor. But I had no idea of the true extent of his sailing skill. For example, his incredible seamanship as skipper of Condor during the 1979 Fastnet race where he did a ‘three-point turn’ after a spinnaker broach. Condor eventually went on to take line honours – an achievement rightly eclipsed by the tragic outcome of that race with so many sailors lost.

Sir Peter’s courage is awe inspiring. It’s one thing to sail in the Southern Ocean – that takes courage beyond measure. It takes another level of courage to die protecting your crew against pirates in the Amazon. Truly heroic and tragic.

One thing I’m learning as a relatively new skipper is how to delegate. I recall a story in the book where a crew member wakes him while he’s asleep. We’ve got a problem, says the crew. Sir Peter says ‘you can solve it’, rolls over to go back to sleep on his bunk. Sir Peter was trusting his crew to solve the problem – and doing so, he was giving them confidence. I try to remember this lesson when I’m tempted to take over from a crew member and do something myself rather than let them complete the job.

Sir Peter was also passionate about the environment. He campaigned for awareness about the effect of humanity on global ecosystems, distinguished and established Blake Expeditions as a tool for that work. In 2001 he was appointed as a UNEP special envoy.

Sir Peter’s murder in 2001 was a shocking tragedy. It was one of those moments that is pinned in my memory. Twenty-two years on, if I can be a fraction of the sailor, adventurer and environmental campaigner Sir Peter Blake was, I’ll be a happy man.

We are honored to have Pippa Lady Blake as our Patron for the Novara One Planet project.