PARIS, Dec 6: America’s Cup winner Peter Blake, one of most successful sailors in yachting history, was killed in a shooting in Amazonia on Thursday, his sponsors said.

Blake, 53, was aboard a boat with his crew when they were attacked by pirates and he was shot dead, they said.

The New Zealander won the America’s Cup twice in 1995 and 2000 with Team New Zealand.

He also won the prestigious Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989 and captured the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994 with a record-breaking non-stop voyage.

A meticulous planner and a gifted leader, Blake’s fierce determination to win always inspired immense loyalty from his crews and unlimited confidence from his backers.

The New Zealander was the only man to compete in the first five Whitbreads and his 1989 victory in Steinlager 2 came with an unprecedented clean sweep as his team walked off with line, handicap and overall honours on each of the race’s six legs.

Steinlager 2 beat a field of 23 boats from 13 countries.

Blake’s numerous sporting accolades included two New Zealand Sportsman of the Year awards and four New Zealand Yachtsman of the Year awards.

He was also chosen to succeed the late Jacques Cousteau as captain of the marine research vessel Calypso 2.—Reuters