Trans Tasman Rowing Challenge Interviews

I was very proud to have been asked to write team profiles for the Trans Tasman Rowing Challenge which is due to start in October. The first, with James Blake, has been published on the team's website, but here's the full article:

James Blake: A Need for Adventure

At 26-years-old, James Blake is a young man in search of adventure. Based in Dunedin and studying Masters in Science Communication and Natural History film-making, Blake has already competed in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, but believes the Trans Tasman Row will be “a challenging expedition” that will push him to his limits. 

Blake grew up in the UK having moved there at age 12 and competed regularly for the school’s rowing team from the age of 14.

“I was at school in Dorset, in the South of England, when I started rowing. I remember a lot of early training sessions and some not-very-nice English weather. I really enjoyed the racing side of it. The training was alright, but the actual racing, when you’re set against another boat on the water, I really loved.”

“We didn’t win much but I competed at the Henley rowing regatta on the Thames. I gave up rowing at 18 when I left school so it’s been good to get out on the water again!”

Sailing became a big part of Blake’s life and it became clear that Blake inherited his famous father Peter’s spirit for adventure.

James Blake

“He had a huge influence on my life. He made me realise that you should just go and do what you want to do. He started out from a small house in Bayswater as just a little boy sailing around but he achieved so much just by doing what he wanted.”

“I love the sea and I don’t think I could be away from it. I think that came from growing up around my father. He had an enthusiasm for getting out there and trying things and putting yourself in situations you’re not used to, and I think people can really learn from that.”

True to this philosophy, in 2010 he competed in the Sydney Hobart race, finding a place on yacht at the last minute.

“I was over in Sydney and found a spot on the boat the day before the race started. Someone had put a drill through their hand and so I jumped on board.”

“It was a 90 foot racing boat, full race spec, full canting keel, and we were steaming. Unfortunately two guys went over board which was quite scary. It took about 20 minutes to get back to them and they didn’t have any safety equipment on them whatsoever.”

“The reason they went overboard was because of a huge squall that hit us and we actually lost sight of them for a while. Then after we got them,  six of us spent about eight hours bailing the boat out - otherwise we would have sunk.”

Since returning to New Zealand to study, Blake says he feels closer to his homeland than ever. “Before I came to Dunedin I thought I was more English but now that I’m over here, I’m definitely becoming more and more Kiwi which I am definitely enjoying.”

Blake currently lives in Dunedin and life primarily consists of training and studies towards becoming a filmmaker.

“I’m putting a lot of time in on the ergometer at the moment, slowly building up and I’m also getting out on the water in a single-scull boat. We have a training schedule designed by Andrew McCowan that I’m sticking pretty close to plus weights three times a week. I need to put on some weight right now but that is proving quite hard.“

So why does the Trans-Tasman project interest him?

“Nigel Cherrie, the project manager, got in touch with me as he knew I was a cameraman and had a bit of sailing experience. It sounded like a challenging expedition that would push me, plus would be great to film.”

As well as pet projects, Blake was involved in shooting a wildlife documentary called Dophins of Shark Bay. He hopes to record all the highs and lows of the Trans Tasman row and make regular uploads to the project website.

“I’d like to bring a Canon 5D onto the boat as well as four GoPro cameras, and probably a handy cam too. I want to capture it in a way that’s never been done before. We’re in quite a unique position as others who have gone across the Tasman haven’t had a cameraman on board.”

“I’ll be putting together quick clips each day and sending them via satellite for the website. It will be quite a struggle to edit and send something back - it will require a lot of concentration. But with the training we will practise all that and I think it will be doable.”

Blake is the driving force behind the Trans-Tasman row’s Coral Reef project, which aims to raise awareness and funding for Borneo’s coral gardeners to help rebuild depleted reefs.

“I studied Environmental Science at university  and wanted to know more once I finished so I traveled off to Borneo, Indonesia and the Philippines to see for myself what was going on.”

“I spent about a month there getting to know the coral gardeners who are attempting to rebuild the coral reefs which are being destroyed by dynamite fishing, overfishing and coral bleaching (caused by temperature rises).”

“Everyday the gardeners collect little clippings of coral and replant them into artificial reefs. We want to raise money for them to build a bigger reef to use. I plan to take it into schools too and use it as an educational tool. We can show the reef being rebuilt, send photos to the schools to progress and relate what is being done back to the wider system.”

“The oceans are under a lot of stress and we’re a country that relies on them. We need to be taking care of the oceans whether it’s on our doorstep or on the other side of the world - it’s all connected and that’s what we want to show.”