Tributes flow in for America’s Cup legend Peter Lester

The global sailing community is mourning the sudden loss of Peter Lester, veteran of three America’s Cup campaigns, accomplished Olympian, and widely respected commentator.

Lester, aged 70, died at home on Friday (10 August). 

Hailing from Canterbury, New Zealand, Lester’s sailing career began in Z and P class dinghies before progressing to the OK dinghy, where he won the Junior World Championships in 1974 and the World Championship in 1977, earning New Zealand Yachtsman of the Year honours twice. 

Lester represented New Zealand in the Finn class, securing the Olympic berth for the 1980 Moscow Games before the country’s withdrawal as part of the US-led boycott. His career spanned Grand Prix racing, including multiple Admiral’s Cup victories, the One Ton Cup, and Kenwood Cups, alongside America’s Cup roles as tactician, coach, and later, commentator. 

Joining the America’s Cup broadcast team in 1992, Lester became known for his insightful and accessible analysis, covering multiple cup cycles, Olympic Games, Extreme Sailing Series and the Volvo Ocean Race, He also served as high perfomance manager at Yachting New Zealand, Head Coach for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, and held international coaching roles. 

Figures across the sport paid tribute to Lester. Known throughout sailing, Peter made life-long friends with Cup legend Harold Cudmore, paying tribute saying: “Peter sustained an infectious enthusiasm for sailing and life over the years. I had a long chat with him in Barcelona. I left with a happy memory of a special sailor enjoying life with future plans now sadly over.”

Stephen McIvor, the anchor commentator throughout the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, also paid tribute to Peter, saying: “You could not find a more giving person. He was the first person I went to when I first got the Cup gig. Made it simple for me to understand over many cups of tea from his glorious wife, Susie. He loved the cup, the history, the sailing and the intrigue. He often said, “Stephen, that’s the cup,” when the rumours and scandals arrived. He was the light in the storm and the happiest when talking about his grandkids and Susie. I will so miss his kindness and his unadulterated humour over large gins. We’ve lost a good one.”

Grant Dalton, CEO of America’s Cup Event and Team New Zealand, honours Peter’s contribution to the America’s Cup and wider sailing world by saying: “Pete was a very good friend. He had a strong understanding of the cup, the dynamics round the people and the boats. He loved the technology, and I spoke to him a lot about different boats, what we thought and why we had made certain decisions. He was just easy to talk to, and I always felt that in some ways, you were justifying what you had done to him, getting his blessing, such was my respect for him, his knowledge and what he had achieved. Myself, Team New Zealand, and the whole sailing community is shocked and saddened. Our love goes out to Susie, his children and his grandchildren. Our sport and the cup will not be the same without his constant presence.”

Shirley Robertson, double Olympic gold medallist and broadcast colleague of Peter, also added: “Peter was a standout broadcaster. With a wonderful ease, he kept the audience on the edge of their seats. He fully understood the history, the meaning and the gravitas of the America’s Cup, and with an enviable turn of phrase and inherent sense of fun, everyone watching also knew just what was at stake. Peter Lester was a class act, the Cup and the sport – we were lucky to have him.”

Lester is survived by his wife, Susie, three sons, and grandchildren. MIN and the America’s Cup community extend its condolences to his family.