Design into the future
While a strong Canadian accent might give the wrong impression, Dibley has an unquestionable Kiwi connection through his New Zealand-born father John, who’d met and married Edie in Alberta, Canada. After moving to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, John Dibley built a 12m ferro cement yacht, Toroa, which housed his family for a number of years.
Born in 1965, Dibley had a solid boating childhood; as well as living aboard Toroa at the boatyard his father managed on Gabriola Island, he and his elder brother John Jnr. had access to any number of boats to learn to sail in.
“Just a beautiful childhood full of boating and exploring,” Dibley remembers.
The love of boats certainly rubbed off as two of the Dibley children chose the marine industry for a career. John Jnr. became a sailmaker with North Sails, then joined Kevin Parry’s Kookaburra III campaign in the 1987 America’s Cup and later managed some of Chris Dickson’s campaigns.
Meantime Dibley was enviously eyeing the yachting scene in New Zealand and in 1984, aged 19, moved here to
