Enterprise Fleet Captain’s Blog
With its distinctive pale blue sails, the Enterprise dinghy is immediately recognisable. The fleet at Bewl is one of the largest in the club with almost 80 boats registered. We hope you find that we are a friendly bunch who are keen to welcome into the Fleet all new Ent sailors.
Some of the World’s greatest sailors started out sailing and Enterprise and yet the boat’s simplicity makes it ideal for beginners and families. Perhaps, because the Enterprise is not a development class, boats tend to be very closely matched for performance and racing throughout the fleet is close and tactical. A thick wallet will have little impact on your racing prowess.
Essentially, the Enterprise is a two person boat but it can also be easily sailed single handed by more competent sailors.
Wood or Plastic?
Boats can be made of wood or “plastic” and sometimes a combination of the two.
A plastic boat, being easy to maintain, is the practical choice. The newer foam sandwich plastic boats are very quick. The older fiberglass ones are not but they are still great for cruising. A wood boat can look beautiful and, if well maintained, it will remain competitive for many years. If you want to race your Enterprise but have a limited budget of say £1500, a wood boat may be the best choice for you. Just be sure you are prepared to spend some time each year attending to the paint and varnish. If you want to race your boat, it is easier and cheaper to buy one already fitted out for racing.
The Enterprise Association
A good source of information on buying, selling and sailing your Enterprise is the Enterprise Association. Membership is a modest £20 per annum and with that you can secure a £5 discount on your annual boat insurance through Noble Marine. Click on this link to the Enterprise Association ; members will receive a half yearly magazine and newsletter.
Sunday series racing
The Enterprise is one of the classes at Bewl that have their own start in each of the series run throughout the year. There are trophies for all the winners including a ‘First Timers’ trophy for the highest placed new helm. Don’t get the idea that to participate in club racing, you must first be a great sailor. What you will find is that racing is a great way to improve in your sailing skills quickly.
While we are keen to encourage new members to participate in the racing, we appreciate that it is not for everyone and an Enterprise is the ideal boat for a leisurely cruise around the reservoir.
Gentle Introduction to Racing
For those that would like to try racing but are apprehensive, we hold occasional sessions on Saturdays to introduce newcomers to racing and to give advice to more experienced sailors wanting to hone their racing techniques. The sessions are normally held during the Spring and are free. They consist of a bit of theory (not too much and without too much technicality), practice starts, mini-races and advice on rigging and tuning.
Another way of learning more about racing is to sail as crew with one of the regular racers.
Wednesday Evenings From 1st May to 31st August
On Wednesday evenings during the Summer months there is club sailing for all from 6.30.pm. The ‘Ent’ fleet regularly turns out in good numbers. It is a very relaxed session with free sailing although you are welcome to join in the ‘impromptu and very informal’ races that normally take place. Everyone has a good time without the pressure of official starts, signing on etc. The races normally run on the basis of ‘let’s sail round these 3 marks, start in 2 minutes after somebody yells start’.
Enterprise Racing for Beginners
2009 Open photos
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2008 Open photos
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