In 2016 Ralph had intended to venture further north into the ice, planning to sail without the help of the modern technology such as GPS and chart plotter, but rather to navigate using the stars. Now Ntombifuti is left waiting in Norway for her skipper. Arrival at Newport after 27 days at sea. Often going Photo Meagan Beauchemin, Billy Black for days or weeks without the luxury of a daily shower and shave during his adventures aboard Ntombifuti, Ralph epitomized the rugged explorer. Underneath the stubble, however, he was the embodiment of a gentleman, refined, well-spoken, and with an elegant, courteous manner. Proficient in five languages – German, French, English, Spanish and Russian – he was both cultured and widely travelled. His interests, to name a few, included astro-navigation, wine, collecting antique watches, literature, art and music. His legacy lives on through his works, many of which may still remain unfinished or unpublished, and the lives of the many people that he touched. Masako Amemiya All we can say is simply that Ralph was an extraordinary son; always helpful, always with a smile on his face and always with a big interest in different things on this world – climbing and sailing, good wine, mathematics, chess and many other things. God bless him! Susanne & Raoul Villiger Our best friend, our partner, ‘Götti’ was a genius and a fearless adventurer. Somebody who could live off chips and chocolate. Somebody who would never complain or say a bad word about others. Somebody who would never forget the birthday of a friend and would always offer a helping hand when needed. Boris Bogdan Sailing? That shouldn’t be too difficult, I thought, the English Channel is not the open sea. But it was now October 2012, somewhere in this same Channel, it was dark and I was lying inside Ralph’s sailing boat, unable to move because of sea sickness. It had been Ralph’s idea for the two of us to sail to Greenland to mountain climb. To get us started, and as training for me, a rather hydrophobic person, he planned a short sailing trip on the south of England. I had never been on a sailing boat before, everything was new – I certainly never thought to fear large waves and strong winds 237
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