SORC 1981

The 1981 edition of the United States' SORC series was generally considered as a great success, but was subsequently clouded by questions raised over the ratings of several of the best performing yachts. This issue took on even more significance than usual, because the regatta doubled as the US selection series for that year’s Admiral’s Cup.

Louisiana Crude and Intuition seen here at the start of the Ocean Triangle Race in the 1981 SORC, with Wildflower to the right (photo Phil Uhl)

One of the stars of the regatta was the new Kialoa IV, the new Ron Holland design which dominated all other yachts in the Class A division. She was built in high-tech material (Kevlar, carbon fibre and unidirectional glass fibre), which provided maximum rigidity that put her out on the edge of the technological evolution of racing yachts at the time. At the other end of the technological spectrum was Pat Malloy’s Peterson 42 Intuition, which would eventually be declared the overall winner of the series (after initially finishing fourth). She was constructed in aluminium, but rivetted and glued rather than welded, which allowed significant weight savings as this allowed lighter plating as there was no loss of form or strength through welding, and less use of fairing putty. The robustness of this construction technique was proved in the second race (St Petersburg to Fort Lauderdale) when she not only survived a collision with Shockwave (a Davidson 46-footer), resulting in a damaged stem, but went on to finish second in class and fifth overall.

Intuition in breezy reaching conditions during the 1981 SORC (photo Guy Gurney)

Two predictably fast entries were the New Orleans yachts Acadia and Louisiana Crude. Acadia, a Frers 39-footer built as a one-off by New Orleans Marine. She rated 29.9ft IOR and even before the regatta began there were some reservations expressed about the accuracy of that figure. 

Acadia racing during the 1981 SORC (photo Tor Maverstaard | Seahorse)

Louisiana Crude was the latest version of Doug Peterson’s Design 33 (first seen as the Dutch 1979 Admiral’s Cup entrant Schuttevaer). Another near sister was Love Machine, and the design later reappeared as the stock-built Serendipity 43 (the most famous of which was Scarlett O’Hara). The Peterson design had returned to the SORC in 1980 as the earlier Acadia which won the event and which went on to help win the Sardinia Cup that year for the US. Louisiana Crude, owned by Tom Dreyfus and Dick Jennings, and skippered by Tom Blackaller, was the new high-tech version, built in uni-directional glass and carbon fibre, and a rating of 32.6ft.

Louisiana Crude in light air downwind conditions during the 1981 SORC

Louisiana Crude had a Class C finish record of 1/1/2/4/2/1 and took out overall fleet honours with results that were never out of the top ten, even though she was also never higher than third. It did not seem to matter whether the contest was a big boat benefit, such as the Boca Grande, or a small boat race like Ft Lauderdale, Louisiana Crude always managed to get home in good time, while Acadia faltered in both the Boca Grande and Lipton Cup races. In explaining their success with a conservative and three-year old design, Blackaller said, "When they get their kind of conditions, specialised boats win races, but when they don't, they are apt to lose big. A boat like Crude can win the series without winning a race". Dreyfus quipped, "Crude is plain, straight vanilla. A simple boat sailed by simple people".

Louisiana Crude, 1981 SORC

During the big-boat races Seymour Sinett’s latest Williwaw (the fourth of that line), a Peterson 48-footer with a rating of 37.1ft, skippered by Dennis Conner, finished first in Class B and third overall. Observers continued to wonder at the ability of Acadia and Williwaw to sail so far above their ratings when conditions were right for them.

Williwaw in fresh conditions off Miami during the 1981 SORC (photo Phil Uhl)

Before the series was over Bill Martin, the owner of Stars & Stripes, a Nelson 39-footer, protested Acadia’s rating. At the same time, the crew of Intuition felt that they were seeing a very different Williwaw being measured to the one they had been racing against, and appeared to be floating on a different set of lines, and Malloy filed a protest against her rating. The US Admiral’s Cup Team Selection Committee subsequently undertook some basic freeboard measurements of the top contenders in Nassau. Neither Acadia or Williwaw were close to the numbers on their rating certificates, and suddenly a protest that was pending on Acadia began to look serious. Despite this, Acadia, Scaramouche (a Frers 45-footer that finished fourth in Class B) and Williwaw were announced as the US Admiral’s Cup team, with Stars & Stripes named as an alternate member.

Scaramouche - seen here astern of the smaller Louisiana Crude (photo Phil Uhl)

Once the team yachts were back in Ft Lauderdale in Florida, they were remeasured in order to avoid any potential rating difficulties in England. The results were described as nothing short of shocking, with Acadia jumping from 29.9 to 31.1ft, and Williwaw from 37.1 to 38.1ft. The issue was further complicated when it was revealed that Williwaw had been measured twice in 1977, and had gone down one full foot in rating, with only the freeboard measurement changing. It was plain that over two tons of lead would have been necessary for the 3.5” measurement difference at her bow, and she measured as less stable that she actually was, by about 5%. Acadia floated higher than her measurement certificate had attested, and thus approximately a ton lighter while racing, and was also more stable than her certificate showed.

A haul-out area in Florida (Snead Island), with Midnight Sun and Aries to the left, and Infinity (in slings) and Leading Lady (photo Paul Mello)

The method employed was that both yachts were alleged to have been fitted with extra-large water tanks to sink the boats during measurement so that they could claim an IOR Mk IIIA credit, which had been devised ostensibly to benefit older, deeper-gutted yachts.

The Holland-designed fractionally-rigged Aries finished in sixth place overall - note the very coarse mainsheet purchase arrangement (photo Phil Uhl)

Scaramouche increased by 0.4ft (from 34.1ft) due to a discrepancy in her original stability data, while Intuition and Stars & Stripes increased by just 0.1ft, and within tolerances.

Intuition, 1981 SORC (photo Phil Uhl)

While all this was going on, Dreyfus and Jennings announced that Louisiana Crude had been sold to Victor Forss of Sweden. Forss also owned the older Acadia (renamed Bla Carat) which had raced in the SORC (Class B), and Louisiana Crude became Ra Carat (meaning ‘Rough Diamond’). Later, and while the boat was out of the water being repainted and prepared for shipping to Sweden, one of the USYRU measurers noticed that bumps on her hull looked a little extreme. On further inspection they were confirmed to be of too small a radius to be accepted without penalty (IOR rule 326.2). A comment from Dreyfus to a USYRU official about the measurement and number of sails on board revealed that 11 sails had been included during measurement, rather than the eight allowed (thereby affecting flotation). With that, and despite no protest being made about her rating during the SORC, the USYRU declared in late March 1981 that Louisiana Crude’s certificate was invalid, and that news was passed on to the SORC committee. Notably, however, no hearing was held to determine the exact nature of the infractions that cost her the title of SORC fleet champion.

Infinity and Canada's Amazing Grace during the 1981 SORC (photo Phil Uhl)

The USYRU could not therefore provide the SORC or Dreyfus and Jennings with a valid IOR certificate. This prompted Dreyfus to label the USYRU’s actions a witch-hunt and, and both owners filed civil action proceedings in a New Orleans court, with Dreyfus seeking $5M in damages for humiliation, injury to reputation and financial impacts. The New York Times reported on 28 March 1981 that an attorney acting for one of the owners denied any irregularities. Dreyfus noted that Louisiana Crude had exactly the same hull as the 1980 winner Acadia, and questioned how it could now be illegal.

Ted Hood's One Tonner Robin, winner of the St Petersburg - Fort Lauderdale Race (and winner of two races in the 1980 series), seen here off Tampa Bay during the 1981 SORC (photo Phil Uhl)

Nevertheless, the SORC committee determined to exclude Louisiana Crude as she did not have a valid certificate and undertook rescoring of the regatta based on new ratings. As a result, the boat that had truly dominated racing in Florida became an instant non-participant. Her new owners were given until 31 May 1981 to produce a valid certificate, but she had been shipped to Sweden in April and any measurement would have to accept the changes made by Forss, including the re-fairing of the measurement bumps. The revised results therefore remained provisional.

The Frers Maxi yacht Bumblebee IV during the 1981 SORC (photo Guy Gurney)

The rescoring in Florida showed some interesting changes in the standings, but not as much as had been expected. With Louisiana Crude missing entirely, everyone moved up one place. Acadia’s new rating pushed her down to third overall, although she still won Class D. Williwaw was pushed down to sixth overall, but also remained first in Class B. These rather minor changes in standings seemed to indicate that Louisiana Crude would have needed to have had an astronomical change in her rating to move her out of first place overall.

The fleet assembled at St Petersburg Yacht Club during the 1981 SORC (photo Guy Gurney)

The US Admiral’s Cup committee decided that there was such a cloud hanging over the ratings of Acadia and Williwaw that they could not successfully represent the US, and were dropped from the Admiral’s Cup team, which was comprised instead of Intuition, Scaramouche and Stars & Stripes. One effect of this shake-up was that the US team went to Cowes with a lower rating team than the one they had initially planned.

Class B get underway at the start of the Ocean Triangle Race during the 1981 SORC, with (left to right) Amazing Grace, Gem, Williwaw and Merrythought (photo Phil Uhl)

Immigrant, a Dubois 42-footer, raced in Class C (photo Phil Uhl)

Meanwhile, the select committee of the USYRU appointed to investigate the irregularities of Acadia and Williwaw determined that the infractions by Williwaw were sufficient to ban Sinett from racing for a period of two years, from 23 July 1981. The penalty was largely based on the testimony of Harvey Ward, Sinett’s former boat-keeper, who stated that he had used a hose to fill the bilges of the yacht with water before the most questionable measurement session, an allegation that Sinett himself denied, as was his request to testify on his own behalf.

Another image from the start of Class B in the Ocean Triangle, with Bravura (second overall in Class B) sneaking in at the boat end to weather of Infinity (photo Phil Uhl)

The situation with Acadia was also contentious, and owner Burt Keenan also contemplated a civil suit against the USYRU, and instituted his own investigation and remeasurement. Two measurers in New Orleans found the yacht to be back within acceptable tolerances for a 30ft-rater, and Keenan maintained that he had been unduly maligned by USYRU officials. Nevertheless, he also incurred a ban for one year.

Class A yacht, the 50-footer Congere, with the foredeck busy with an errant spinnaker, went on to finish third in Class A (photo Phil Uhl)

Despite all the controversy behind the SORC and the US team selection, the team went on to acquit itself well in the 1981 Admiral’s Cup, finishing in second place. The series, that started on 29 July, was won by Britain, which itself was to face its own rating controversy following the remeasurement of team yacht Victory of Burnham after she raced in the 1982 SORC. As it transpired, the lower ratings of the US team were better aligned than the original team to the conditions for the 1981 Admiral's Cup, and its second place result was led by the minimum-rater Stars & Stripes which finished in fourth place on individual points, with Intuition 11th and Scaramouche 21st. Ra Carat formed part of the ninth-placed Swedish team (of 16), sailing with a rating of 32.7ft, just 0.1ft higher than her rating for the SORC. She finished a creditable 12th on individual points, just one point behind Intuition, and scored a memorable second in Class 2 overall in the Channel Race.

The afterguard aboard Louisiana Crude during the 1981 SORC (photo Paul Mello)

Stars & Stripes, the standout performer in the US team in the 1981 Admiral's Cup, approaches a leeward mark during that series, ahead of New Zealand's Wee Willie Winkie and Canada's Runaway 

Article dated August 2026

This article is based on accounts set out in The World of Yachting 1981/82; The Official History of the Admiral’s Cup (Timothy Jeffery); Great Yacht Races (Bob Fisher); and Seahorse (May/June 1981 edition), including articles at the time by designer Bruce Kelley; the New York Times (28 March 1981) and Sports Illustrated.

Lady Be (Frers 45)

Lady Be was the first of the production Beneteau 456, after Beneteau decided they needed a fast offshore yacht in their production range. She was designed by German Frers and, although supposedly a production yacht, the hull was constructed in Kevlar and carbon-fibre/foam sandwich with a stripped out interior. She was 13.8m (45.3ft) long, with a beam of 4.2m and displacement of 9,225kg, and carried a rating of 35.4ft.

Lady Be in hard reaching conditions (photo Facebook)

Eric Duchemin was recruited by Beneteau to campaign Lady Be for the French Admiral's Cup trials and just failed to gain a place. However, she came under the eye of Peter Blake, who was looking for a yacht to charter for the hastily prepared New Zealand Admiral's Cup team where she would join Neville Crichton's Frers 43 Shockwave. 

Lady Be 

Crichton had initially planned for Shockwave to be a member of a New Zealand team, but when no other boats came forth for selection, he campaigned Shockwave in the Australian trials. Despite her dominance of that series, however, Shockwave was not selected and Crichton found himself with a hot boat in need of team-mates. He managed to goad the New Zealand sailing fraternity into action, and Ian Gibbs joined the fray by chartering Swuzzlebubble IV, the former Epiglass New Zealand (Wee Willie Winkie), a Holland 40 and near sistership to his earlier Swuzzlebubble III which was top individual yacht in the 1981 Admiral's Cup.

Lady Be rounds a windward mark during the second race of the 1983 Admiral's Cup, just ahead of US yacht Locura

Blake thought that Lady Be could be made competitive for the Admiral's Cup, particularly if Duchemin stayed on, and chartered the French yacht. Following an unremarkable 16th place in the first race of the series (where Shockwave finished last after incurring a 23 place penalty), Blake proved his point in the second race when, in a reasonable breeze in the Solent, Shockwave and Lady Be had a great race together to finish third and fourth respectively. That was as good as it got however, as lighter winds in the two ocean races put the bigger boats like them out of the running. The Channel Race was a small boat benefit, and Lady Be finished in 41st place, with Shockwave not much better in 32nd. In better conditions in the fourth race, Lady Be finished 17th and then 16th in the Fastnet race finale, to finish as 19th yacht overall, with the New Zealand team taking sixth place.

Lady Be seen here during the 1983 Admiral's Cup, trying to outrun the smaller yacht Almagores (Peterson 43), which finished second on individual points and was part of the second placed Italian team (photo Phil Uhl)

Lady Be powers upwind under full main and no.3 genoa (photo Facebook)

Lady Be to windward to team-mate Shockwave at the start of the second race in the 1983 Admiral's Cup (photo Johnathan Eastland | Ajax)

Lady Be leads Scarlett O'Hara downwind during the second race of the 1983 Admiral's Cup (photo Alan Sefton | NZ Yachting)

The following sequence of photos are of Lady Be taken by Larry Moran on the long downwind leg of the St Petersburg to Ft Lauderdale race during the 1984 SORC. Lady Be was sailed by Francois Chalain and finished in 3rd place in Class C (and 14th overall) with division placings of 8/2/2/1/9/8.

Lady Be during the St Petersburg to Ft Lauderdale race during the 1984 SORC (photo Larry Moran)

Lady Be on her way to second place in the St Petersburg to Ft Lauderdale race (photo Larry Moran)

Lady Be with Bravura and Secret Love (overall winner of Class C) following (photo Larry Moran)

Lady Be with Bravura and Secret Love following, and Invictus out to the left (photo Larry Moran)

Lady Be with Bravura and Secret Love following (photo Larry Moran)

Another photo of Lady Be during the 1984 SORC, this time by Guy Gurney

It is understood that Lady Be was sold to Russell Hoyt in Newport, R.I. and renamed Destination where she was actively raced on the US east coast. In 2009 she took part in the ARC 2009 race under the ownership of Jurgen Dobbelaer and with her original name of Lady Be. Unfortunately she had to abandon the race due to leaks in the rudder post. She was transported to Muiden in the Netherlands in 2010 and is in service as a charter yacht for day trips on the IJsselmeer (as of 2016).

Article updated July 2024

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

Ian Gibbs, Admiral's Cup champion dies at 87

Gibbs's standout performer Swuzzlebubble III - seen here on her way to being the top yacht in the New Zealand Admiral's Cup trials in 1981, and went on to take individual honours in the Cup itself (photo P Montgomery/Sail-world)

Sail-World reports today that Ian Gibbs, one of New Zealand's top offshore owner/skippers, has died at the age of 87 years. 
 
In a 20 year period Gibbs competed very actively and with considerable success in major international regattas in the offshore rating classes - principally in Half-Tonners, and then in the Admiral's Cup, sailed from Cowes, Isle of Wight. The now defunct Admiral's Cup was widely regarded as the World Championship of offshore racing. 

Gibbs' Swuzzlebubble IV during the 1983 Admiral's Cup

Gibbs skippered his yacht Swuzzlebubble III to be the top individual boat in the 1981 event, and sailing a chartered sistership was the top New Zealand competitor in the 1983 Admiral's Cup. He was well performed in four Half Ton Cups, most notably with Swuzzlebubble I/II in the 1977 and 1979 events. 

Previous articles and tributes to Gibbs' many campaigns during the heyday of New Zealand offshore yachting can be found by clicking on the "Ian Gibbs" label below.

Gibbs' last offshore racing yacht, his Mumm 36 Swuzzlebubble 9, seen here during the 1994 Kenwood Cup in Hawaii (Gibbs can be seen on the leeward side of the cockpit aft)

Admiral's Cup 1983

This post features some photographs and video from the 1983 Admiral's Cup series - the regatta was won by a strong German team of two minimum raters (30.0ft IOR), Outsider and Sabina, and the bigger Pinta (sistership to Container). The light airs in both the Channel Race and the Fastnet favoured smaller yachts, and Germany was ideally placed in this respect, with all three yachts finishing very highly in the individual results to give them a commanding 167 point margin over the second placed Italian team in the final standings.

Shenandoah (US) rounds a weather mark during a pre-Cup race in Cowes, with Panda (K1983) and Container (G-89) ahead and to windward (photo Phil Uhl)

Lady Be, one of the chartered yachts in the New Zealand team, rounding a weather mark with US yacht Locura in pursuit

The Oyster 43 Stephen Jones-designed Black Topic was the highest placed of the British team (14th) and is seen here in the thick of windward mark action - 1983 saw the British finish well down the placings at eighth overall (photo Phil Uhl)

The video below is from an interview (in German) with crew from the Jacques de Ridder designed Sabina (winner of the Channel Race and second individual yacht overall), Thomas Michaelsen and Tim Kroger. The sailing footage starts at 3:15 and ends at 5:45, with some good top mark rounding shots of the three German yachts.  

Espada chases Bondi Tram (centre), Caiman (left) and Too Impetuous (right) in the second inshore race (photo Phil Uhl)

Britain's Dragon (18th overall) crosses behind Diva, the top overall yacht of the series (photo Phil Uhl)

Ossian (ex-Mea Culpa) leads Outsider and Brava around a windward mark, with Pinta visible to the right with spinnaker set (photo Phil Uhl)

Di-hard sets off on the first reaching leg to windward of a Belgian yacht Mariner, with Container 79 G-1999) visible ahead of Italy's Prima Donna (photo Phil Uhl)

Container 79 (Austria) and Swuzzlebubble IV (New Zealand) round a windward mark during the 1983 Admiral's Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

Australia's Hitchhiker, seen here alongside another Australian yacht (sailing for Papua New Guinea), Too Impetuous (photo Phil Uhl)

Sabina (second yacht overall) and Di-hard (15th) in action at a gybe mark during the 1983 Admiral's Cup

From left to right - Hitchhiker, Di Hard, Shenandoah and Caiman on a reaching leg during one of the inshore races during the 1983 Admiral's Cup (photo Guy Gurney)

A second and shorter video can also be viewed here. This features interviews with the same crew from Sabina, and the the sailing footage starts from 1:13 (note, for some reason these links may not work on Apple systems like iPad).

Magistri rounding a leeward mark (photo Guy Gurney)

Container 79 and Italy's Almagores charging down the Solent during the first race of the series

Lady Be leads Scarlett O'Hara downwind (photo Alan Sefton | NZ Yachting)

Shockwave (New Zealand) gets off to a great start in the second race, with team-mate Lady Be up to weather, the two boats going on to score third and fourth in this race (photo from Jonathan Eastland's archives)

The Tony Castro designed Justine IV, skippered by Harold Cudmore to third place overall thanks to some very strong performances in the offshore races, but part of an otherwise unsuccessful (11th placed) Irish team

An elevated view from the Fort turning mark, with Japan's Togo VII in the foreground and Britain's Indulgence to leeward (photo Guy Gurney)

Hitchhiker seen here rounding a weather mark behind Canada's Amazing Grace and Charisma V, with Italy's Almagores just visible approaching on port - also visible, although not an Admiral's Cup contender, is the original Jade (K-747) (photo Phil Uhl)

A close-up view of Locura by Guy Gurney 

Australian yacht Di-Hard (sistership to Hitchhiker), sailing for Papua New Guinea (photo RORC | Facebook)

Top individual yacht of the series, Diva (France) trying to extricate herself after tangling with a buoy during the Channel Race (photo Guy Gurney)

Lady Be with spinnaker and staysail set tries to outrun the smaller Italian yacht Almagores (photo Phil Uhl)

Caiman II, sailing for Holland seen here after running aground, possibly during the Channel Race (photo Guy Gurney)

Sabina rounding a windward mark (photographer unknown, Facebook)

Start of the Channel Race (photo Phil Uhl)

The 50-foot Midnight Sun leads Canadian yacht Runaway at the start of the Channel Race (photo Phil Uhl)

Australian yacht Bondi Tram, a custom German Frers 41ft design, and top yacht of the fourth placed Australian team (finishing in 13th place overall)

The German yacht Espada sailed for the Austrian team, and seen here in the second race (just behind Bondi Tram)

French yacht Ossian (Frers 42-footer) leads Belgium's Mariner (Van de Stadt 42), possibly during the third race where these two similarly rated yachts finished 36th and 37th respectively (photo Phil Uhl)

The Ed Dubois designed 42 footer Indulgence (32.7ft IOR) - top yacht of the British trials but finished as the lowest placed of the British team. After leading the fleet in the early stages of the Fastnet race she took a long tack into oblivion and never recovered

Black Topic, a member of the British team, is seen here before the Admiral's Cup and before her name change (the RORC thought her original name of Black Top was too close to owner Dixon Atkinson's tarmacadam business)

A video of the 1983 series can be seen here:

 

Article updated September 2026