Enterprise Class celebrates its 60th anniversary with newest boat launched at Bloody Mary Pursuit Race
2016 marks the 60th anniversary of the Enterprise, and will also see the newest Enterprise E23411 taking to the water to compete in the Bloody Mary Race.
GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series
It was on 9th January 1956 when the first two Enterprises designed built by Jack Holt for the News Chronicle newspaper sailed at night across the channel from Dover to Calais. On 9th January 2016, the most modern Enterprise will be hitting the water for the first time at Queen Mary Sailing Club, Staines.
The first new Enterprise of 2016 - E23411 – has been built by Rondar Raceboats for Paul Hobson of North Sails. Paul will be launching his new boat in time to compete in the Bloody Mary, which is the largest inland dinghy race held in the UK. Open to all dinghy classes with a Portsmouth yardstick handicap rating equal to or lower than the International Topper, it takes the form of a Pursuit Race with the slowest boat starting first and the faster boats starting progressively later depending on a handicap rating which is set by the Race Committee. This iconic event, which is in the Yachts and Yachting hall of fame as one of the Top 5 events in the world, draws competitors from all over the UK and the Continent.
The Bloody Mary is part of the GJW Direct Sailjuice Winter Series. This popular race series includes the Datchet Flyer held in December 2015, which was won by an Enterprise helmed by Ann Jackson crewed by Alan Skeens. Just short of her own 60th birthday, Ann beat over 95 boats in this hotly contested race demonstrating that the Enterprise is truly a boat for all ages, where skill and teamwork play the most important part in winning races.
This latest Enterprise built by Rondar Raceboats uses a new interior mould, known as the Mark 3. It retains the strict one design rules for the external shape and weight of the Enterprise, still much the same as the first boats built 60 years ago. This adherence to the original measurements ensures modern boats have the same performance characteristics of older boats and is one of the appealing features of this well-known and popular dinghy class, which is instantly recognisable from its light blue sails.
Rondar’s new Enterprise was developed to provide a more modern and appealing package to today’s sailors. The aim was to provide a more comfortable self-draining epoxy boat which requires less maintenance than wooden versions. Whilst all the areas of the boat that affect speed remain unchanged - such as hull shape, weight, rig and foils – Rondar has modernised its Enterprise design into a boat that has succeeded in attracting sailors from other classes back into the fleet, which is renowned for being family friendly and welcoming to all ages and abilities.
Paul Hobson’s E23411 includes fittings by Harken and foils by Milanes. It has a Cumulus mast from Sélden, together with the latest sails from North Sails. Paul has included a new style of jib sheeting, designed to make the jib sheet loads much easier to handle, making it more suitable for sailing with young crews. He has also opted for a centre mainsheet with a split bridle and the fall is led internally within the boom. In addition he has incorporated a 2:1 jib halyard to reduce load on the wire and reduce compression in the mast.
Over its 60 year history, the Enterprise grew in popularity worldwide with fleets in Australia, Canada, USA, Ireland, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, China, and Pakistan. Its popularity in Asia was strengthened when the Enterprise was selected for the Asian Games. In 2015, forty new Enterprises were commissioned use in India for sail training.
In the UK Enterprise fleets can be found all over the country, racing and cruising on rivers, lakes and reservoirs and the sea. As well as club sailing, there is an active Open Meeting circuit, with regional events, Masters Championships (helms over 40) and Youth (Under 25’s) championships. Each year there is a National Championships held on the sea. Enterprises can be found at many regattas such as Salcombe, Bass Week and Carnac.
Winning major events is always a challenging and this attracts many of the country’s most able helms and crews to come and take part including representatives from the leading boat builders and sailmakers including Rondar, Peak Performance, North Sails, Pinnell & Bax, and Hyde Sails. The Association supports all our major events with great sponsorship and prizes throughout the fleet’s Gold, Silver and Bronze divisions with prizes to encourage newcomers as well as the youth and lady helms and crews and the ton up (combined helm and crew age over 100) trophy. The 2016 National Championships will be held at Brixham YC in July where the class will celebrate its 60th anniversary in sparkling style.