Enterprise Tideway Race at South Bank Sailing Club

Racing on the Thames during the Enterprise 50th Anniversary Tideway Race © Janice Bottomley / www.sailaway.me.uk

Racing on the Thames during the Enterprise 50th Anniversary Tideway Race © Janice Bottomley / www.sailaway.me.uk

Racing past parliament in the Enterprise 50th Anniversary Tideway Race © Paula Southworth

Enterprise 50th Anniversary Tideway Race South Bank and Ranelagh Sailing Clubs

On 4th June 2006 47 Enterprise dinghies raced down the River Thames from Putney to Westminster in light wind conditions, a marker buoy was dropped just before the Houses of Parliament – all competitors successfully rounded this mark but then found it difficult to do the return leg until the tide turned at 3 00 pm. The Fleet lost the wind under Vauxhall Bridge and became becalmed for awhile but the wind picked up and all of the fleet returned to the finish at South Bank Sailing Club. The Enterprise was designed by Jack Holt at Putney in late 1955 as a boat for the people; over 23000 Enterprises have been built to date and are now sailed in 17 countries worldwide. The rich, bright blue sails instantly identified the Enterprise Dinghy in this very memorable, historical event.

History states: ‘True to the design brief outlined by the News Chronicle, the boat is suitable for any level of sailing, from family cruising to club racing, National and International competition. The boat is sailed and raced on rivers, lakes and reservoirs with many coastal events taking place around the UK’.

For the Thames race, there were three sequential starts at five- minute intervals, which means the boats were spread out over quite a large area of the River. This provided a spectacular sight for Londoners and visitors as they witnessed Enterprise Dinghy Sailing at its best. Spectators were able to access the riverbank for viewing for the majority of the race.

The racing was organised by South Bank and Ranelagh Sailing Clubs and other London river clubs provided additional safety boat support (Twickenham were very prominent in their support for this event). The first start took place at 1 00 pm which was carefully calculated on wind and tide condition, with the critical factor being the estimated time to the turning mark near Westminster and best match for the state of the tide. The Committee did a brilliant job – every competitor rounded the mark and had the view of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. This was a magical event which was created by a very enthusiastic Enterprise Team from Southbank , Ranalagh and the Enterprise Association - a memorable event for the 50th Anniversary – a thank you to everyone involved plus our sponsors Fullers London Pride who have also supported the Thames Valley Bowl Events for the last two years.

Overall Results: