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Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Tributes flow for Kiwi sailing great
Peter Lester and sister Jill Ineson hoisting the America's Cup. Photo: Facebook Tributes have been flowing from around the country and the world for Lyttelton sailing icon Peter Lester – with America's Cup officials, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Yachting New Zealand among them. Lester died on Friday after suffering a heart attack a week earlier. He was 70. He has also been remembered closer to home. Before Lester became an America's Cup tactician and popular sailing commentator, he learnt his craft on Lyttelton Harbour. As a teenager, Lester was part of the Christchurch Yacht Club and the Canterbury Yacht Motor Boat Club, where his family had long-standing ties. He would sail Z-class and local P-class dinghies built by his father, Gordon. Lester also attended West Lyttelton Primary School where he became a prefect. Naval Point Club sailing committee member Ross May was among those lucky enough to see Lester in his early sailing days, and got a glimpse of his future capabilities. 'He was a really dominant sailor in our area, way, way ahead of any of the kids around.' '(He was) one of those sort of people who had an innate talent,' May said. He and Lester would run into each other at various events and said he was always easy to talk to, down to earth and never forgot where he came from. 'To go from Lyttelton sporting level to being on the top of the world stage, I would have thought he must have had a fantastic life and that's well deserved, I think everyone would say that,' he said. The Naval Point Club honoured Lester at its Old Salts Lunch at noon on Tuesday with a minute's silence, and flew the flag at half mast. Members who sailed alongside him also exchanged stories and memories. Lester moved to Auckland in his early 20s after switching from a dinghy to a keelboat, where he soon won the OK Dinghy World Championship in 1977, putting himself on the map. He was named New Zealand yachtsman of the year in 1977 and would achieve the feat again in 1987 when he skippered Propaganda to an Admiral's Cup win. Lester went on to serve as tactician for the NZ Challenges in the 1988 America's Cup, coached the Spanish team in 1992, and was tactician again in 1995. He pivoted to broadcasting when TVNZ asked him to join the commentary team during the 1992 America's Cup campaign. From there, he built a 30-year long career in the industry, his voice becoming synonymous with major sailing events. Former Yachting New Zealand chief executive David Abercrombie described Lester as 'generous with his time' and 'a great storyteller'. 'Pete had a wonderful memory for detail and was never afraid to call it as he saw it,' he said. Lester is survived by his wife Susie, three sons, and grandchildren.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Lyttelton mourns a sailing icon
Tributes have flown in from around the country and the world for Lyttelton icon Peter Lester – with America's Cup officials, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Yachting New Zealand among them. Lester died on Friday after suffering a heart attack a week earlier. He was 70. He has also been remembered closer to home. Before Lester became an America's Cup tactician and popular sailing commentator, he learnt his craft on Lyttelton Harbour. As a teenager, Lester was part of the Christchurch Yacht Club and the Canterbury Yacht Motor Boat Club, where his family had long-standing ties. He would sail Z-class and local P-class dinghies built by his father, Gordon. Lester also attended West Lyttelton Primary School where he became a prefect. Naval Point Club sailing committee member, Ross May, was among those lucky enough to see Lester in his early sailing days, and got a glimpse of his future capabilities. 'He was a really dominant sailor in our area, way, way ahead of any of the kids around.' '(He was) one of those sort of people who had an innate talent,' May said. He and Lester would run into each other at various events and said he was always easy to talk to, down to earth and never forgot where he came from. 'To go from Lyttelton sporting level to being on the top of the world stage, I would have thought he must have had a fantastic life and that's well deserved, I think everyone would say that,' he said. The Naval Point Club honoured Lester at its Old Salts Lunch at noon on Tuesday with a minute's silence, and flew the flag at half mast. Members who sailed alongside him also exchanged stories and memories. Lester moved to Auckland in his early 20s after switching from a dinghy to a keelboat, where he soon won the OK Dinghy World Championship in 1977, putting himself on the map. He was named New Zealand yachtsman of the year in 1977 and would achieve the feat again in 1987 when he skippered Propaganda to an Admiral's Cup win. Lester went on to serve as tactician for the NZ Challenges in the 1988 America's Cup, coached the Spanish team in 1992, and was tactician again in 1995. He pivoted to broadcasting when TVNZ asked him to join the commentary team during the 1992 America's Cup campaign. From there, he built a 30-year long career in the industry, his voice becoming synonymous with major sailing events. Former Yachting New Zealand chief executive David Abercrombie described Lester as 'generous with his time' and 'a great storyteller'. 'Pete had a wonderful memory for detail and was never afraid to call it as he saw it,' he said. Lester is survived by his wife Susie, three sons, and grandchildren.
