Born in New Zealand in 1924, Ben Pester came to England in 1943 to serve with the Royal Navy. He was granted leave to sail his 10 ton yawl Tern II, of Claud Worth fame, out to New Zealand in 1953. As an engineering officer in the New Zealand Navy, his last appointment was as commander (E) of the cruiser Royalist.
In recognition of the cruise of Tern II he was awarded the Royal Naval Sailing Association’s Hammond Cup.
He left the navy and joined Alcan Aluminium Limited of Canada, holding managerial positions in New Zealand and Australia before becoming chief executive of companies in Nigeria, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Retiring to Falmouth in Cornwall in 1990, he set up a small sail training school with his McGruer 36 foot classic sloop Marelle. In her he sailed down to Patagonia to see in the millennium and to round Cape Horn – described in his book Through the Land of Fire.
Until his sudden death in May 2010, at the age of 85, Ben continued to sail the coastal waters of Cornwall all year round in his beloved Marelle.