Design and Construction
Compared with the classic Contessa 26, the Contessa 33 has more modern cruiser-racer lines. It measures 32.67 feet overall, with a 25.42-foot waterline, an 11.08-foot beam, and a draft of 5.82 feet. Displacement is 8,988 pounds.
A displacement-to-length ratio near 244 and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.8 put the boat firmly in the lively cruiser-racer category rather than the heavy-cruising camp. The hull and deck are both solid fiberglass, and the underwater profile combines a fin keel with a spade rudder.
Production was limited. The moulds were later sold to a Greek concern, but that business was unable to raise a head of steam, and the tooling’s ultimate fate is unknown.
Rig and Handling
The Contessa 33 carries an uncomplicated fractional-sloop rig. The standard sail plan includes a 202-square-foot mainsail and a 269-square-foot working jib. A 150-percent genoa of roughly 418 square feet is available for reaching, while the symmetric spinnaker is near 852 square feet for downwind legs. The numbers describe a boat tuned as much for club racing as for shorthanded cruising.
The design quickly proved itself on the racecourse. Moonlight, the first Contessa 33, took a class first in the 1984 Cowes-Deauville race and finished first overall in that year’s Starlight Series. Jos of Hamble won Class 4 in the 1984 Round the Island race. Across the Atlantic, Chaparral IV won Block Island Week in the United States in 1986, while Act of Defiance recorded numerous Irish Sea wins that same year.
Accommodations and Cruising Use
Owners report that the layout could sleep eight—a generous number for a 33-foot hull and an indication that the boat was intended for family cruising as well as racing around the buoys. Period owners also described her as attractive and noted the uncomplicated rig. Those qualities suited a couple or small crew dividing their time between weekend racing and longer passages.
Peter Bruce’s Owl offered a practical demonstration of the boat’s cruising brief. Bruce found her neglected at Shamrock Quay in December 1991, when she was named Ceveva, and later renamed her. Owl subsequently sailed to Skye and circumnavigated Ireland, with the crew living aboard for five weeks.
Racing Pedigree
Owl became the most celebrated example of the design. By Bruce’s own calculation, she was the most successful Channel Handicap boat during the five years he owned her. He also reckons she was the most successful CHS boat in the UK over the same period.
In 1993, her second year under Bruce, Owl came into her racing stride. She won her class at the Scotland Rover Series and Cowes Week, as well as in the Dartmouth and Lymington series. She never failed her crew on the racecourse. Bruce sold her in October 1999.
Refits and Known Issues
Restoring a neglected Contessa 33 can take real commitment. Bruce needed a couple of years to sort out Owl after retrieving her from Shamrock Quay. His experience suggests that a tired example is a project rather than a quick turnaround.
Owl’s service history also included two unusual incidents. On a homeward leg off the Lizard, a short circuit in the electrical system set fire to the engine insulation. The fault lay in the wiring rather than the engine itself.
In a separate episode, a dog trod heavily on the gear lever, causing the boat to accelerate ahead at full revs. The controls were evidently vulnerable to unintended actuation. Neither incident points to a structural defect, but both underline the value of checking electrical integrity and control security on an individual hull.
The Verdict
The Contessa 33 is a genuinely dual-purpose Humphreys design. It punches above its length on the racecourse while offering a practical cruising interior for a couple, small crew, or family. Its racing record spans major events on both sides of the Atlantic, and examples such as Owl demonstrated that the boat could also support extended cruising.
The small production run and uncertain fate of the moulds make the Contessa 33 a scarce find, and future spares from the original tooling are uncertain. Even so, the design has enjoyed a prolonged competitive life and remains much sought after well beyond its launch era. Its record suggests a capable, if occasionally quirky, 33-footer.
Pros
- Proven cruiser-racer with major regatta wins on both sides of the Atlantic
- Sleek, modern Humphreys lines in a compact, manageable 33-foot hull
- Sleeps eight, allowing a versatile cruising schedule
Cons
- Very limited production, with future spares from the original tooling uncertain
- An electrical fire and vulnerable gear-lever control were documented on at least one hull
- Returning a neglected example to form can take several years
