Peter Lester (born in Christchurch) is a New Zealand

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

and broadcaster.

Sailing career

In 1977 he was the

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in the OK class. He was named the NZ Yachtsman of the Year in 1977 and again in 1987. Lester joined

New Zealand Challenge New Zealand Challenge was a sailing team funded by Michael Fay that challenged for the America's Cup three times between 1987 and 1992. New Zealand Challenge was the first team from New Zealand to enter the competition. 1987: KZ 7 ''Kiwi Magic' ...

for the

1988 America's Cup The 1988 America's Cup was the 27th America's Cup regatta, and was contested between the defender, San Diego Yacht Club represented by ''Stars & Stripes H3'', and the challenger, the Mercury Bay Boating Club represented by New Zealand Challenge ...

where he was the tactician on board '' KZ1''. He coached the Spanish Desafio España Copa America challenge at the

1992 Louis Vuitton Cup The 3rd Louis Vuitton Cup was held in San Diego, United States in 1992. The winner, Il Moro di Venezia, went on to challenge for the 1992 America's Cup. The teams Eight challengers from seven nations contested the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup. Toget ...

. In 1993 he was the helmsman on Willi Illbruck's '' Pinta'', which won the

One Ton Cup The One Ton Cup is a trophy presented to the winner of a sailing competition created in 1899 by the Cercle de la voile de Paris (CVP). Synopsis The One Ton Cup regattas were at the beginning of races between one-tonner sailing dinghies, acc ...

. He sailed in the

1995 Louis Vuitton Cup The 4th Louis Vuitton Cup was held in San Diego, United States in 1995. The winner, Team New Zealand, went on to challenge for and win the 1995 America's Cup. The teams Originally ten challengers from seven nations submitted bids to compete for t ...

as part of Tag Heuer Challenge. He competed in the 2017

World Masters Games The World Masters Games is an international multi-sport event held every four years which, in terms of competitor numbers, has developed into the largest of its kind. Governed by the International Masters Games Association (IMGA), the World Mast ...

in a

Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

Broadcasting career

Lester's broadcasting career began in 1992. After Desafio España Copa America was eliminated for the Louis Vuitton Cup, Lester was asked to commentate for

TVNZ , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the So ...

. He has subsequently commentated on other

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

and Volvo Ocean Races.

References

Living people Sportspeople from Christchurch New Zealand male sailors (sport) New Zealand broadcasters Sports commentators 1988 America's Cup sailors 1995 America's Cup sailors Year of birth missing (living people) World champions in sailing for New Zealand OK class world champions OK class sailors {{NewZealand-yachtracing-bio-stub