Robert Dix competed in the men’s 470 class two-person dinghy at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games alongside his cousin Peter Dix, finishing 23rd of 28 boats. Members of the Malahide Yacht Club, the Dix cousins were 470 specialists who had demonstrated their quality by finishing 5th at the Weymouth Olympic Week Regatta in 1975 in a 100-strong fleet. The sailing conditions in Kingston were awkward, with wind analysis data compiled over three years proving unreliable, and the Irish sailors were unable to manage the light winds that prevailed.