KEY POINTS:
Ginger Gibbs, powerboat skipper, restaurant owner, died aged 52.
Ginger Gibbs, who once described himself as NZ's last pirate, died suddenly at his home in Auckland.
Gibbs became a flying pirate in March last year when he broke the record for a Tasman Sea speed record in his powerboat Swashbucklers, named after his waterfront bar and restaurant.
The record was held for 45 years by the P&O liner Oriana. Gibbs reckoned he could beat the ship's 47 1/2 hours by at least 10 hours, crossing the Tasman from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Auckland Harbour Bridge. Gibbs and his crew of three did it in 40h 31m 26s. Bad weather off the Northland coast slowed his 12.5m craft.
Gibbs spent many years as a trawler fisherman, living on Great Barrier Island, before turning his skills to powerboat racing. In 1990, he built what was believed to be the first diesel-engined racing boat, a yellow catamaran called Calico Jack.
He used it for offshore racing, a recent hobby, although he was an experienced river racer and held records for races on the Whanganui, Waikato and Manawatu rivers.
