To call it a race would be something of a misnomer. As such, the Enduro is a non-stop endurance contest to see who can get the most laps in 4 hours. The only limitations on what boat you can sail is that J-boats and Wheelers are not allowed. Other than that, it’s sail-what-you-got, or can fit in your car.
Admittedly, it can favor the largest boats but factors like battery life, electronic failures, wind conditions, getting caught on marks, doing 360’s, weeds, running aground and, oh yeah, sailing ability, all come into play. This year we added a new variable. After the Enduro started, a person started fishing down the bank and decided to cast out past one of our marks (it’s a public venue). It was only a matter of time before he successfully snagged the anchor rope on our mark and then successfully caught the deep keels of Rick Gates’ and Herb Dreher’s 10R’s. There they stayed until Herb was able to row out and rescue them. Meanwhile, the fleet sailed on.
Enduro success is often just trying to guess which hull design might best match the predicted wind, pond hazard and other variable conditions. In the past, Marblehead, EC12 and Canterbury J class boats have won over some of the larger classes.
This year it was all about the wind, or lack thereof….less than 4 mph. Maybe it’s just me, but in a regular regatta there may be light wind, but if you can just drift around the course, and finish, there is some closure to the frustration; at least until the next heat starts. In the Endure, with light wind, closure/relief is hours away. Not only that, but big boat dominance was not guaranteed as some found their boats being passes by the much smaller, lighter classes. I’m sure I saw smirks on some skippers with smaller boats as they drifted past the larger classes. Admittedly, I often found my VM successfully being challenged by a Seawind (whose skipper had not sailed it before and said the boat was badly out of tune). I guessed wrong this year, I should have brought my US1M.
When it was all said and done, Chris Hornick took home the Enduro perpetual trophy. He and his 10R seemed to barely notice that the winds were light. His boat seemed to be able to move when everybody else were standing still.
Because there can be such a discrepancy in boat sizes, and to encourage skippers with smaller boats to participate, this year we decided to also recognize boats were under 40”. This year, Paul Mercer lead the under 40” classes with his IOM. Next year I hope to see more of you Soling, DF95 and US1M skippers compete in the under 40” classes.
I can’t leave without recognizing the people who normally don’t sail with us, but came some distances to be with us for the Enduro. They include our good friends Thom McLaughlin and Larry Mazoway who came from Maine to sail with us and our friends Fred and Mary Goebel who came from Southern Connecticut to watch and visit.
Finally, I want to thank our scorekeepers Cheryl O’Brien and Jerry Leach. They had to sit and watch, and listen to us whine about the wind for 4 hours. Again, thank you.
| Name | Boat | Laps |
| Chris Hornick | 10R | 21 |
| Greg LaPlante | EC12 | 20 |
| John Whalen | M | 19 |
| Rick Gates | 10R | 19 |
| Herb Dreher | 10R | 18 |
| Paul Mercer | IOM | 18 |
| Chris Obrien | EC12 | 17 |
| Thom McLaughlin | VM | 16 |
| Rick Laird | EC12 | 16 |
| Al Fearn | US12 | 15 |
| Alain Jousse | 10R | 14 |
| Cliff Martin | VM | 14 |
| Peter DeWolfe | Seawind | 10 |
| Did Not Finish | ||
| Larry Mazoway | EC12 | 11 |
| Steve White | DF95 | 9 |
| Jim Linville | Star 45 | 1 |
