1981 New Zealand Admiral's Cup trials

This post features photographs taken from slides that form part of the Auckland's Maritime Museum's online collection. These photographs are from the 1981 New Zealand Admiral's Cup trials, that were contested by eight yachts over a course of observation races in March 1981 followed by a selection trials series proper. The trials were won by Swuzzlebubble III, a Holland-designed 40-footer, and she was joined in the New Zealand team by near sistership Epiglass New Zealand, renamed Wee Willie Winkie for the Admiral's Cup itself to avoid Rule 26 (sponsorship) complications, and Marac, a fractionally-rigged S&S 46-footer, later re-named Inca for the same reason. Other contenders in the series were Feltex Roperunner (a Farr designed 40 footer for Don Lidgard), Spritzer (a masthead Holland 40), Monique (a masthead Holland 42-footer), Ngaruru (S&S 46, sistership to Marac/Inca). Digby Taylor also used the series as a warm-up regatta for his Whitbread entry, the Davidson 50-footer Outward Bound. While Swuzzlebubble III went on to be the top individual yacht in the Admiral's Cup that year, Wee Willie Winkie and Inca could only manage 26th and 42nd respectively, and the New Zealand finished in sixth place overall.

Epiglass New Zealand to weather of Spritzer, soon after the start of one of the trial races in easterly conditions on the Auckland Harbour

Evan Julian's S&S 46-footer Marac (rating 34.5ft IOR) crosses Epiglass New Zealand and Feltex Roperunner (4499)

Ngaruru (4513) leads Monique (3325), Spritzer (4490) and Swuzzlebubble III (4466)

Epiglass New Zealand (30.6ft IOR) skippered by Stu Brentnall - note the hard turn in the sheer between the maximum beam point and the stern, as a way of maximising crew leverage between these two measurement points

Ian Gibbs' Swuzzlebubble III (30.2ft IOR) sails past Islington Bay towards the Motuihe Channel

Swuzzlebubble III sails into the Motuihe Channel in perfect easterly conditions

Marac sails back into Auckland Harbour

Feltex Roperunner, the lowest rating boat in the series (30.1ft IOR), runs downwind through the Motuihe Channel back into Auckland Harbour

Spritzer sailing past Motuihe Island - a similar design to Epiglass New Zealand and Swuzzlebubble III but masthead rigged (30.2ft IOR). She competed in the Admiral's Cup for Bermuda as Flirt of Paget.

Epiglass New Zealand sails downwind past Rangitoto Island with Sprizter to windward and Feltex Roperunner astern

Spritzer and Epiglass New Zealand head out into the Hauraki Gulf

Epiglass New Zealand sails past Gannet Rock 

Feltex Roperunner sails past Motuihe Island and out into the Hauraki Gulf in a fresh south-westerly

Swuzzlebubble III (Holland 40)

Swuzzlebubble III was a 40ft 6" Ron Holland design (a development of Holland's earlier Regardless hull), the second of Ian Gibbs' yachts to this name (Swuzzlebubble became Swuzzlebubble II after her extensive modifications for the 1979 Half Ton Cup). Swuzzlebubble III was a very professional campaign, and the one that gave Gibbs his greatest success in international offshore racing. The yacht was rated at 30.1ft IOR for the 1981 NZ Admirals Cup trials series, close to the minimum allowed for the Admirals Cup itself (which was raced at the time in three boat teams between 30.0 and 40.0ft IOR).

Swuzzlebubble III on launching day at Westhaven, Auckland, December 1980 (Gibbs Family Collection)

Interior photo of galley area (Gibbs Family Collection)

The yacht was built by Cooksons, making use of a form of construction that Holland had pioneered with his Two Tonner Imp, with a light composite hull and a stainless steel and aluminium space frame that was engineered to take keel and rig loads. This was combined with a sparse but ergonomically efficient interior designed by Brett de Thier for a very high tech appearance for the time. Her displacement of 13,500lbs incorporated 3,800lbs of ballast in the keel, and a further 3,000lbs in the hull floor.

The Swuzzlebubble III campaign got off to a shaky start, however, when her US-built Stearn mast was delayed by a week and failed to arrive in time for launching day. It later broke during windy conditions off Channel Island (off the Coromandel Peninsula) during the preliminary observation trials. A new section had to be flown in from the US which was sleeved locally. The mast was a bendy fractional set up, with triple in-line spreaders. Swuzzlebubble III sailed with a North wardrobe, including the new-style vertical cut headsails developed by Tom Schnackenburg.

Downwind during the 1981 NZ trials

The racing in the trials series was very close, with three instances of dead heats on corrected times and a margin of only two seconds between first and second on corrected time after the 40-hour, 300-mile, final race. Gibbs was involved in a plane crash the day before the trials proper, and this may have influenced the yachts' fourth placing in the first race. However, Gibbs was well supported by a top crew that included Andy Ball and Rick Dodson, and they went on to win the second race, and placed third in the third race. From there on, the regatta was all Swuzzlebubble III, winning the final three races to easily qualify in the New Zealand team, alongside Epiglass New Zealand (a Holland 40 sistership, renamed as Wee Willie Winkie for the Admirals Cup to avoid Rule 26 sponsorship issues) and Marac, an S&S 46 (re-named Inca for the same reason). 

Swuzzlebubble III during the 1981 Admiral's Cup trials

 NZ Admirals Cup trials 1981 - Swuzzlebubble III, Spritzer and Feltex Roperunner (Gibbs Family Collection)

Swuzzlebubble III went on to have an excellent series in the 1981 Admirals Cup, finishing with a flourish in the light air Fastnet Race finale to leap from seventh place to first overall on 315 points, just one point ahead of the English yacht, Peter de Savary's Victory of Burnham. This was, however, the only bright spot of an otherwise disappointing New Zealand team performance, with Wee Willie Winkie finishing in 25th place, and Inca even further back in 42nd.

Swuzzlebubble III was sold overseas and as of 2012 was for sale in Italy (refer photos below). At that time she appeared to be in very good condition (although less so by 2020), and had been fitted with a more cruising-oriented interior. 

Swuzzlebubble III slides downwind during one of the offshore races in the 1981 New Zealand Admiral's Cup trials (photo P Montgomery/Sail-world)

Swuzzlebubble III leads Monique (middle) and Epiglass NZ (left) in fresh downwind conditions during the New Zealand Admiral's Cup trials (photo NZ Yachting/Sail-world)

Swuzzlebubble III in a strong position ahead of a pack of bigger boats during the 1981 Admiral's Cup

Swuzzlebubble III as seen for sale in 2012



As seen again for sale in 2020 (photo Facebook)

Southern Raider (Davidson 38)

Southern Raider was a Laurie Davidson design, built in Christchurch in 1981 for a syndicate and skippered by Frank Dickson. She had a rating of 29.4ft, and was reasonably short for that rating, at 38ft, but sported a lofty fractional sail plan. She had a relatively brief but eventful career on the international offshore scene. 

Southern Raider during the 1982 Southern Cup trials (J Malitte)

Southern Raider was a member of the New Zealand team for the 1981 Southern Cross Cup, joining the Farr designed Admiral's Cup hopeful The Roperunner and the 46-foot S&S Ngaruru, but their performance underscored something of a demise in New Zealand's offshore prowess at the time, with the team finishing sixth overall. The team's effort was not helped by Southern Raider's retirement on the first night of the Sydney-Hobart race following structural problems.

Southern Raider seen here to windward of The Roperunner in fresh southerly conditions off Evans Bay in Wellington during the October 1981 New Zealand trials for the Southern Cross Cup team (photo Rip magazine)

Celebrating their trials result (D Christie Collection)

Southern Raider was bought by John Stephenson shortly before the trials for the 1982 Clipper Cup, after seeing the performance of her Australian near-sistership Szechwan. She was sailed up from Lyttleton with only days to spare, and for most of the crew the first race of the trials was their first sail on the yacht.  She struggled in the first race with a torn mainsail and navigational errors, but bounced back to win the second and fifth races, to finish third overall, just one point off first placegetters the Lidgard 40 Dictator and the Frers 45 Solara.

The yacht joined the Lidgard 40s Dictator and Defiance in New Zealand's 'small boat' Green team. All three yachts were designed and moded for lighter airs than perhaps would be expected in Hawaii, but the signs looked promising when Southern Raider won the Sauza Cup warm-up regatta by one point from another Davidson design Sweet Caroline (Australia). 

Southern Raider seen here (centre) during the 1982 Laihana Sauza Cup before the Clipper Cup, with US yacht Shenandoah to the right, with team-mate Defiance visible to leeward (blue and white spinnaker) (photo Phil Uhl)

Well reefed during the gale-afflicted 1982 Clipper Cup series, with US yacht Checkmate heading off downwind (photo J Malitte)

However, the New Zealand effort in the Clipper Cup itself was not helped by the fact that the series was affected by the presence of two hurricanes in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands. Both New Zealand teams were significantly off the pace in these conditions, and the Green team's hopes were further dashed when the Japanese yacht Lazy Albatross managed to take out both Southern Raider and Dictator at the start of the last race.

Southern Raider on a fast reach (photo A Sefton)

The collision with Lazy Albatross split Southern Raider's foredeck across to the centreline and lifted the deck for several feet along the sheer. The crew were forced to retire from the race, which counted for triple points and saw Southern Raider slip well down in the overall standings to 35th place (following placings of 28/28/19/26/dnf), and sixth in class. Dictator also had to retire, and the Green team ended up ninth overall.

Southern Raider during the 1982 Clipper Cup series (photo J Malitte)

A year later, Southern Raider competed in the Auckland to Suva (Fiji) race - she finished in first place in both the Division A IOR and PHRF fleets, an impressive effort after breaking her tiller (and a crewman's finger) on the first day out, and steering the rest of the way with the jockey pole lashed to the tiller stump. 

Southern Raider leaving New Zealand for the last time at the start of the 1983 Auckland to Suva race (7 May 1983)

Sadly, however, Southern Raider, was abandoned on the return voyage (via Noumea) in June 1983. The yacht was caught in an un-forecasted gale that also affected several other boats in the area at the time. The yacht's skipper, Geoff Blakey, radioed that Southern Raider was taking on water and requested assistance. With conditions deteriorating and the boat starting to crack and sink further, it was later resolved to abandon the yacht, and the crew arranged to transfer to a ship, the Jumbo Stella Two. Tragically, one crewmember, Bob Whitehouse, was drowned during a difficult transfer from Southern Raider to the rescue ship. All five other crew were safely transferred and the yacht was left to sink.

The moment of impact between Southern Raider and the rescue ship which trapped one of the crewmembers (photo RNZAF Orion)

The last photo of Southern Raider - abandoned and sinking by the bow (photo RNZAF Orion)

Article updated August 2025

Flirt of Paget (Holland 40)

Flirt of Paget is a 40ft Ron Holland design built in New Zealand by Brin Wilson Yachts in 1981 for the Admiral's Cup of that year, and featured a kauri planked hull (around an aluminium space frame) and her varnished finish made her instantly recognisable. 

The yacht was designed as a 'minimum rater', coming in at 30.1ft on IOR, to meet the 30.0ft minimum set by the rules for the Admiral's Cup. Unusually for a racing yacht at this size she was fitted with a masthead rig, and this was expected to make her more competitive in lighter airs.  

Spritzer, as she was originally known, competed against other seven other yachts in the New Zealand trials, and finished in fifth place, with individual placings of 5/4=/4/5/3=/5. The line up for the series was notable for the resurgence of Holland designs (such as Ian Gibbs' Swuzzlebubble III) which had gained some ascendancy since the changes to the IOR that had severely penalised the light displacement designs of the likes of Bruce Farr and Laurie Davidson. There was little of the light airs which was expected to be her forte, but as it turned out her best results were in the fresher winds. Crucially, however, Spritzer couldn't foot it with the fractional-rigged yachts on a two-sail reach and although she was well sailed tactically, and often made up places by going the right way, she didn't have the boat speed of the others. 

Spritzer during the 1981 New Zealand Admiral's Cup trials

Spritzer crosses behind the larger Inca in the New Zealand Admiral's Cup trials 1981 (photo Sea Spray)

Spritzer in close company with Feltex Roperunner (4499) and Swuzzlebubble III in the NZ Admiral's Cup trials, and below, as Flirt of Paget during the 1981 Admiral's Cup





Flirt of Paget competing for Japan in the 1983 AC

Spritzer went on to compete for the Bermudan team in the 1981 Admiral's Cup, having been bought by a Mr Trimingham (of Paget) and renamed Flirt of Paget.  She generally failed to fire, although it was a year when Swuzzlebubble III was the top yacht of the series, and the Bermudan team finished last of 16 teams. Her result was not helped by losing her mast in the Channel Race. She went on to compete for Japan in the 1983 Admiral's Cup, although that team also finished last (from 15).

Being lifted for transport to the shed (L Klingstrom, 2007)

Flirt of Paget later competed in other regattas overseas, including the 1983 SORC where she finished third in Class E with placings of 11/9/3/3/2/4, and 27th overall. She also raced in the 1984 series, where she finished sixth in Class F, and 54th overall. 

Flirt of Paget competing in the 1984 SORC (photo Larry Moran)

In 2007 she was bought by Swedish yachtsman Lars Klingstrom. Lars has embarked on an incredible restoration of Flirt of Paget, and has applied a level of perfectionism and attention to detail that has drawn many admirers through his regular posts and updates in the Sailing Anarchy forums. She was shown to the public at the Gothenburg Boat Show (Sweden) in 2013, and more photographs from that and her restoration can be seen here. She was  relaunched in July 2014

Flirt of Paget's kauri hull gets the high gloss treatment (photo L Klingstrom, 2012)

 Rudder fitted and nearing completion, January 2013 (photo Claus Axtal)




Launched! July 2014