PJ Montgomery: America's Cup commentator pays tribute to Peter Lester

Two-time sailor of the year and iconic America’s Cup commentator Peter Lester has died aged 70. 

Lester's sailing career saw him compete in three America’s Cup campaigns as a tactician. 

He then became an expert voice on the sport from the mid-1990s and was part of the world feed team for last year's America’s Cup in Barcelona.

Broadcaster PJ Montgomery joined Piney to pay tribute.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
A huge loss for the sailing community with the death
of former America's Cup tactician Peter Lester at the age
of seventy. He saw through three America's Cup campaigns and
became an expert voice on the sport, involved in the
World Feed team for last year's America's Cup in Barcelona.
He has been a voice of authority and an explanatory

(00:36):
voice to us across so many years in sailing commentary.
Peter Lester died on Friday night after suffering a heart
attack a week earlier. Fellow America's Cup commentator Peter Montgomery
worked extremely closely with Peter Lester, and he joins us now.
Pjsons ere condolences for the loss of your great mate.

(00:58):
Peter Lester tell us about the time that the two
of you spent together.

Speaker 3 (01:03):
Our greetings, Jason Ys. It's quite a shock and a
struggling to take it in, but I've known Peter for
well a very long time. I commentated out of Takapuna
Beach back in nineteen seventy seven in the second World
ok Dinghies held in New Zealand the first back in
nineteen seventy and Peter Lester won that against some very

(01:26):
very formidable opposition, and then he subsequently went on to
be involved in the One Time Cup when back in
the very early seventies that was a very big deal
for New Zealand sailing, and then onto the Admirals Cup,
winning that what was it in the late eighties eighty seven,
and then he had been a tactician in the America's

(01:51):
Cup and a couple of times New Zealand Sailor of
the Year, and then he morphed over into the transition
of a sailing broadcaster as well, notably as a sailing analyst.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
You've worked along side many people in a broadcast sense, PJ.
And I know not every sports person can make the
transition across. How was Peter Lester able to do that,
to go from sailor to explaining sailing to us?

Speaker 3 (02:21):
Well, probably way back when I remember well, originally when
I first started broadcasting, Bill McCarthy told me the very
first day, don't ever forget you're talking to the little
old lady with the blue rints headoo and white tennis shoes.
And I've never forgotten that, and I remember telling Peter
Lester that as well, and as with many others, and

(02:44):
Peter was able to do that, because what can be
quite a complicated sport, then Peter was able to break
that down to be understood by people who were certainly
interested in the America's Cup but had no serious sailing knowledge.

(03:04):
And Peter was able to do that and do it well.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
And of course these were regattas that you're involved and
often go on for a long long time, don't they. PJ.
You would have spent a lot of time in Peter
Lister's company outside of the commentary box. What were you know?
What will those memories be like for you? Ah?

Speaker 3 (03:22):
Well, he was always a very friendly, personable person who
was very much a glass half full and well he
was good company and had a very funny sense of humor,
and I witnessed that often now. He was just very
good company, very knowledgeable about the sport he was talking about,

(03:44):
but also very good company.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Good on your PJ. I know you've got a queue
of people waiting to chat to you about Peter Lester,
so we'll let you go, but I appreciate you joining
us here on news Talks EDB to remember your great mate.
That's PJ Montgomery, who probably knew Peter Lester as well,
if not better than most people.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
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