Tribute to Sir Peter Blake gets green light
Yahoo! News (NZ), April 30 2008-- America's Cup yacht Black Magic will be the centrepiece of a multi-million dollar tribute to Sir Peter Blake which was given the go-ahead today after almost two years of fundraising. At a function attended by Prime Minister 
Helen Clark and Auckland Mayor John Banks, the New Zealand National Maritime Museum announced grants, scholarships and donations to the tune of nearly $9 million would be used for the building and exhibition project Blue Water Black Magic: A Tribute To Sir Peter Blake. Black Magic, or NZL32, led by Sir Peter defeated Stars and Stripes to win the America's Cup in San Diego in 1995. The boat will be suspended in the Hall of Yachting and the accompanying exhibition will surround the yacht on three levels, chairman of the Maritime Museum Alastair Aitken said. "We are very excited to be at this stage of the project. It has been an enormous undertaking, raising the funds needed to build this wonderful waterfront tribute exhibition," he said. Tenders for the building would be called in May. Sir Peter, one of New Zealand's greatest yachtsmen, was shot and killed by robbers in the Amazon in 2001.
Helen Clark and Auckland Mayor John Banks, the New Zealand National Maritime Museum announced grants, scholarships and donations to the tune of nearly $9 million would be used for the building and exhibition project Blue Water Black Magic: A Tribute To Sir Peter Blake. Black Magic, or NZL32, led by Sir Peter defeated Stars and Stripes to win the America's Cup in San Diego in 1995. The boat will be suspended in the Hall of Yachting and the accompanying exhibition will surround the yacht on three levels, chairman of the Maritime Museum Alastair Aitken said. "We are very excited to be at this stage of the project. It has been an enormous undertaking, raising the funds needed to build this wonderful waterfront tribute exhibition," he said. Tenders for the building would be called in May. Sir Peter, one of New Zealand's greatest yachtsmen, was shot and killed by robbers in the Amazon in 2001.