RALPH ROBERTS MBE

1935 – 2023

Olympic representative Ralph Roberts passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 19, 2023. He was 87. A tough, competitive National Champion in the Finn, Flying Dutchman and Soling classes, Roberts also made a massive administrative contribution to New Zealand yachting over many years.

After crewing in Mullet, Idle Along and V Class boats, Roberts began his competitive sailing career in Z Class in 1946. While his initial performances weren’t outstanding, by 1953 he and crew Ken Malpas had won the Auckland Z Class trials and come second in the Cornwell Cup; the following year, they won both trials and Cup.

Ralph unsuccessfully campaigned a Finn in the 1956 Olympics trials and two years later finished fourth with the 18-footer Envy in 1958 JJ Giltinan trophy in Sydney. Roberts travelled to England with Geoff Smale with the International 14 Atau Hau and won the 1958 Prince of Wales Cup. He remained in Europe for some months racing Finns and training with legendary Danish yachtsman Paul Elvstrom.

After winning the Finn trials for the 1960 Rome Olympics, Ralph finished sixth out of 35 boat fleet. He continued sailing Finns and crewing for Geoff Smale in the Flying Dutchman (FD) class.

While Roberts entered the Finn and FD trials for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, he wasn’t successful. However, he travelled with the Olympic sailing team to Tokyo and was instrumental in helping Helmer Pederson and Earle Wells win Gold in the FD class. His experiences in Tokyo were a major benefit to future Olympic campaigns.

Roberts remained top of both Finn and FD classes in New Zealand, winning five Finn and, with Smale, five FD National Championships. He managed the New Zealand Olympic Sailing Team for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where Russell Coutts won Gold in the Finn, Rex Sellers and Chris Timms Gold in the Tornado, and Bruce Kendall Bronze in the Windsurfer classes.

Roberts was appointed to the Sailing Jury for the 1988 Korean Olympics, the first New Zealander so honoured, and between 1986 and 1989, served as President of the New Zealand Yachting Federation. He was then appointed

Chef d’mission for the 1992 Olympics.

In 1993 Ralph was awarded an MBE for services to yachting and sport, then became a member of the ISAF Review Board. More recently, in 2012, he was appointed the Chief Judge for the sailing Para-olympics.

Roberts was also a celebrant, a JP, a Commodore, a President and a Life Member of the Takapuna Boating Club. His old school, Takapuna Grammar, named a school building after him, the Ralph Roberts Student Services Centre. Roberts told the students the day it opened: “It doesn’t cost you anything to dream, we can do anything if we put our mind to it.”

Roberts is survived by his wife, Penny, six children, and grandchildren.