About
James Blake was born on 31st December 1986 on the south coast of England. At the age of three months he flew with his family to New Zealand and thereafter his childhood was spent either on or around boats and the water in various parts of the globe. At the age of one and a half he accompanied a team following his father on a two-man race around Australia - stopping at seven ports around its coast. Then flights around then world following the 1980/90 Whitbread around the World race - getting up at all times of day and night to see the boat Steinlager come into port. James went to schools in New Zealand, San Diego California and the UK at times being taken out of school so that he could follow the exploits of his father. Since leaving school in the UK James had a gap year in which he took the backpacking option around India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.
He spent two months in the Antarctic in 2007 working as part of a six-man team on a conservation programme on the historic huts of Shackelton and Scott. He is currently studying environmental science at university in Bristol.