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Sport Nation
Tributes flow for sailing icon Peter Lester
Sport Nation • August 10th, 2025 1:24 pm
Photo: Emirates Team New Zealand
One of the voices of New Zealand sailing has gone silent.
Emirates Team New Zealand has led tributes for legendary sailing commentator Peter Lester who passed away, aged 70, on Friday after suffering a heart attack.
Lester was a sailor himself and would have been an Olympian had the 1980 Olympics in Moscow not been boycotted by most Western countries.
He later became one of the much-loved and known commentators of the America’s Cup and Olympic sailing.
Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton lauded Lester for his knowledge and passion.
"Pete was a very good friend. He had a strong understanding of the Cup, the dynamics round the people and the boats," Dalton said in a statement that accompanied news of Lester’s death.
"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 really 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."
Stephen McIvor, the anchor commentator throughout the 37th America’s Cup and Sport Nation host, also paid tribute to Lester.
“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.”
