Nick Blackman   DOB: 9/3/85 

I have grown up sailing my whole life; beginning with cruising on the family yacht then joining the local sailing club at the age of five progressing through the dingy classes.  At the age of 17 I joined the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Youth Training Programme where I completed a year on bow, mainsheet, and helm.   When not racing with BlackMatch I have competed successfully in many different classes of yachts.  While in the Youth programme I also sailed for a season doing bow on a Farr40 and a Farr53, and since graduating from the programme in 2006 I have been bowman on a canting keel Transpac 52 for the last two seasons.  I have competed in many international match-racing regattas ranging from the Monsoon to the Congressional Cup.  I have completed seven Coastal Classic Yacht races winning line honours in 2007.  After completing my university studies in 2006 I spent the next year overseas racing in Europe and the USA.  During this time I was bowman for Dennis Conner aboard “Cotton Blossom II” in the Panerai Classic Yacht Series in the Mediterranean, and was also bowman for Dean Barker aboard “Black Pearl” in the RC44 circuit.

My offshore experience consists of a delivery from Fiji to Auckland and a delivery from Auckland to Sydney on a 100 foot super maxi.  I have also been a part of several expeditions with Blakexpeditons aboard Peter Blake’s yacht, Seamaster, where we explored Cape Horn and the Southern fiords of Patagonia.

In 2006 I completed my degree at Auckland University leaving with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Physical Geography and History.  Since then I have completed my RYA Offshore Yachtmaster, STCW 95, Fire Fighting, Restricted Radio operators Licence, Advanced Sea Survival, Level 2 Medic, and Level 2 Yacht Seamanship Instructor.

My ISAF Sailor Classification is catagory 1 (amateur).