Captain Blake joined the Merchant Navy in 1962 and 13 years later moved to sail training. He has been captain of the Sir Winston Churchill and Malcolm Miller (Great Britain), STS Ji Fung (Hong Kong), STS Leeuwin (Western Australia), STS Kaisei (Japan) and delivery master of STS Young Endeavour, Britain’s bicentennial gift to Australia.
In 1993 Captain Blake took command of the replica vessel Endeavour and sailed her around the world twice, rounding both Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope during her travels to Europe and the Americas from Australia.
He holds the International Master Class I certificates with a square rig endorsement.
Captain Blake has been awarded the Freeman of the City of London, and Freeman of the City of Newark, USA. In 1996 he was awarded the Cutty Sark Medal for outstanding seamanship and leadership, and in 2001 received the OBE for services to Sail Training and Youth Development.