Roger Grimes passes away

by Di Pearson on 7 Feb 2005 Roger Grimes, yachting legend and a great mate to many, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday morning around 7.30am.

‘Grimesy’, as he was known to his mates, celebrated his 70th birthday on January 27, and was still having fun up until the day he died, said his son Richard, also a yachtie and pilot.

‘He was still telling Spiesy stories and having fun up until he died,’ Richard said today, referring to Grimesy’s race to Hobart in 1992 aboard Spies’ Telerent, the smallest boat ever to race in the Sydney-Hobart.

In his work life, Grimesy joined Qantas at 19 years of age training as a pilot on Tiger Moths at Bankstown. Over the years he flew DC3’s, DC4’s, Super Constellations, Lock Eage Electra’s, 707’s and 747’s, retiring in 1987.

Yachting wise, he was world-renowned for his navigating skills, having sailed aboard the Late Jack Rooklyn’s Apollo in 1978, taking line honours. He sailed many races on the various Apollo’s, completing around 12 Sydney-Hobart races, numerous Clipper/Kenwood Cups, Admiral’s Cups, the Newport-Bermuda race, SORC Onion Patch Series and just about every other major ocean race in Australia overseas.

Grimesy also won the Australian Half Ton Cup sailing with Peter Cole on Bodega and early in his career he sailed the 5.5 Metre class, winning an Australian title. Then an Olympic class, he lost Olympic selection to Bill Northam.

During his career, Grimesy had time to fit in two marriages and six children. On boats and ashore, he was larger than life, always having a fund of stories, was well respected and just a lot of fun. We will miss him terribly.

Our sympathies go to his six children; Diane, Rachel, Phillip, Richard, Simone and Caroline.

Details of his farewell will be published as soon as arrangements have been made.