Bravery of murdered yachtsman who tried to fight off 'river rats'

The yachtsman Sir Peter Blake was praised at an inquest into his death yesterday for his "outstanding bravery" in the face of terrifying circumstances.

Sir Peter, one of the most successful sailors in yachting history, was shot by pirates while anchored near the mouth of the Amazon on 5 December last year.

The New Zealander, 53, and his crew of 10 had stopped 12 miles from Macapa in Brazil while on a worldwide expedition to monitor global warming for the United Nations Environment Programme.

Yesterday Robin Allen, 20, described in chilling detail the surreal moment the robbers, known as "river rats", boarded Sir Peter's yacht, the 119ft Seamaster. The crew, having spent the day ashore making telephone calls to their families, had returned for drinks and dinner at 8pm.

"After dinner we were sitting on deck talking about our expedition, having a few beers, listening to some music and then some of the crew members went downstairs to bed and the rest stayed up," Mr Allen said.

He continued: "I remember seeing six guys jump on board, some wearing motorbike helmets, others wearing balaclavas. Most of them had pistols – some two, others one. I saw two of my crew members trying to push them back and defend the boat, not realising what was going on, thinking it was some joke. Then I remember Peter running down below saying, 'This is for real'."

Mr Allen, of Chichester, West Sussex, said he ran along the deck and up the aftmast to the crow's nest. "I could see a few of my crewmates on deck with guns to their heads but I could not see what was going on downstairs.

"The next thing I remember happening was an exchange of gunfire below deck and then I saw the raiders get panicked and start running about. I could see they were confused as to what was happening. Then I heard a couple of gunshots." The only two rifles on the Seamaster, he said, were kept for defence against polar bears during Arctic expeditions and had been locked in Sir Peter's cabin.

When the pirates left by boat, firing a parting shot at the yacht, Mr Allen climbed down from the crow's nest. "I saw some blood on the deck. I did not want to believe it at first. I thought they had been firing blanks at first or something, trying to believe it was not for real."

He saw one of his crewmates bent over with a gunshot wound before finding the injured Sir Peter in the pilot house with other crew members trying to resuscitate him.

The "daring and distinguished" yachtsman – whose many accomplishments included twice leading his country to victory in the America's Cup as well as winning the Whitbread Round the World Race – had been shot twice in the shoulder while in a crouched or kneeling position, the inquest in Portsmouth was told.

Six Brazilian men, who confessed almost immediately to the robbery but said they had acted in self-defence, were jailed in June for the attack. Ricardo Colares Tavares, 23, who fired the fatal shot, was sentenced to 37 years.

Sir Peter moved to Britain in the Seventies and settled in Emsworth, Hampshire, with his wife, Pippa, their daughter, Sarah-Jane, 18, and son, James, 14. He was buried in the English village after a memorial service in Auckland attended by 30,000 people.

Recording a verdict of unlawful killing, Peter Latham, the deputy coroner for Ports-mouth and South-east Hampshire, said: "It was in these tragic circumstances that Sir Peter Blake died. He had been a world-famous yachtsman braving high seas over many years. He was well-loved and known in Hampshire where his English family still lives.

"On that night he showed outstanding bravery in trying to protect his colleagues and the ship in what must have been for everyone terrifying circumstances. He was a great man."