The Peter Lester Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sailing is presented each year by Yachting New Zealand to recognise people and groups who have made a lasting impact on the sport. Renamed in 2025 to honour the late Peter Lester, the respected commentator, world champion, and America’s Cup figure, it was first awarded to Mark Mulcare at the Barfoot & Thompson Yachting Excellence Awards in November 2025.
The Peter Lester Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sailing is Mark Mulcare
Mark Mulcare, the inaugural recipient of the Peter Lester Award, was honoured for more than two decades of volunteer service to keelboat and club racing in New Zealand. Totally blind since his teens, he is a B1 category sailor and a three time world champion helmsman who navigates by feel, sensing changes in heel and wind. Mulcare manages the national keelboat handicapping system, created the Race Track database, and provides extensive technical and volunteer support to clubs across the country. He has served on key Yachting New Zealand committees, including CIORC and the PHRF committee, and previously received a YNZ Service Award in 2016 for his work developing race analysis software and PHRF tools.
Peter Lester, one of the greats
Peter Lester, the veteran Kiwi sailor, coach and commentator, passed away aged 70 following a heart attack. He began sailing on Lyttelton Harbour, rising through P-class dinghies to win the 1977 OK Dinghy World Championship off Takapuna Beach. That win made him one of New Zealand’s earliest one-design world champions and earned him his first Yachtsman of the Year award. Over a storied career Lester helmed grand prix keels boats to victory in world-class events — including helming the New Zealand entry at the 1987 Admiral’s Cup and campaigns in the America’s Cup.
Later he turned his attention to coaching and performance development, serving as a high-performance manager and Olympic coach with Yachting New Zealand.
Starting in 1992, he became one of the sport’s most respected commentators. His voice graced decades of coverage — from Cups and Olympiads to major global sailing events — thanks to clear, insightful analysis that helped demystify racing for everyday viewers.
Across all roles — racer, coach, mentor and commentator — Lester earned a reputation for generosity, infectious enthusiasm and a genuine care for the community. He mentored younger sailors, served on awards panels, and helped secure scholarships and support for emerging talent.
In losing him the New Zealand sailing world has lost more than a champion — it has lost one of its greatest voices and supporters.
Peter Lester: sailor, coach, commentator – a true voice of New Zealand sailing
