A Hampshire community feels the loss of a local identity, writes BRONWYN SELL.
Emsworth's harbour is as still as new tinfoil.
Had he been here, Sir Peter Blake would have woken well before dawn to check his e-mails. Years spent on boats had set the body clock for early rising.
As the
picturesque coastal village woke he would have wandered to the shop to get the paper. He might have gone out on his mountain bike or out walking. Later, as the sun set, he might have wandered up to the Emsworth Sailing Club for a pint or for dinner.
The Blake house is about as close to the sea as you can get without falling in.
Before he left for the Amazon, before the English weather turned bitter, Sir Peter dusted off an old cart that belonged to his son, James.
His friend and business partner, Scott Chapman, watched as the world's greatest sailor lifted into the cart Mr Chapman's children, aged 18 months and 3 years.
"Here's Peter as big as he is, he's pulling the children along the lawn and they're laughing and he's laughing and carrying on. It's a fantastic memory."
Mr Chapman and Sir Peter's best friend, Alan Sefton, moved to the idyllic village near Portsmouth six months ago to crank up their environmental campaign, blakexpeditions.
"I guess we thought of ourselves as this trio which could take on the world," says Mr Chapman from Mr Sefton's waterfront cottage.
"This is his biggest challenge - was his biggest challenge."
They are hospitable and genial, but Mr Sefton's moist eyes give away the pain of losing a great friend.
They have been supporting Sir Peter's widow, Lady Pippa, and the children, organising the funeral, downloading thousands of e-mails of condolence, figuring out what to do with the boat and crew still in the Amazon, liaising with the New Zealand Government and the ambassador to Brazil, and fielding hundreds of phone calls.
"It is so sudden, and we've been so busy - and that's a good thing. It hasn't sunken in," says Mr Sefton. "The worst is yet to come."
Mr Chapman last spoke to Sir Peter about 12 hours before he was killed.
He said Sir Peter had found a new passion which he believed in even more than sailing.
"This wasn't a project - it was his life. The only thing that meant more was his family."
The pair had been unsure how to break the news to Lady Pippa. Not wanting to bang on the door so early in the morning, they stood outside her house in the dark before deciding to telephone first.
Lady Pippa, who grew up in Emsworth, has been constantly in contact with friends and family, but does not want to face the media yet.
Villagers have been leaving cards and flowers at her door.
They are finding it hard to accept that they will never again see Sir Peter's imposing figure strolling down to the store. That he will never again man the safety marshal's dinghy at the sailing club's regattas.
The funeral will be on Friday, and the sailing world is expected here, to farewell one of its best.
But in this tiny place, his legacy is much simpler - dedicated family man, stalwart of the sailing club and familiar face in the pub.
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Peter Blake, 1948-2001
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Blakexpeditions
Blake leaves gulf in village life
A Hampshire community feels the loss of a local identity, writes BRONWYN SELL.
Emsworth's harbour is as still as new tinfoil.
Had he been here, Sir Peter Blake would have woken well before dawn to check his e-mails. Years spent on boats had set the body clock for early rising.
As the
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