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)

Holland's design notes for Swuzzlebubble III advise that she was a development of his successful masthead minimum-rater Regardless, that had won two races in the 1979 Admiral's Cup, and was leading point scorer going into the tragic Fastnet race. A fractional rig was chosen for this updated design due to the extensive experience of New Zealand sailors with such rigs and because the crew would have a nucleus of dinghy sailors. A fractional rig also enabled a slightly larger sail plan than Regardless. 

Profile and interior arrangement and deck plan for Swuzzlebubble III

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)

Article updated July 2026