Enduro-2024

I’m sure you’ve all heard this by now, but the Enduro is the last race of the season for the Minuteman Model Yacht Club.  It’s a race with one start followed by one finish 4 hours later.  There are no holds or time outs, and the object is to sail as many laps as you can in those 4 hours.  You may sail any boat you want except a Wheeler or a Large J-boat.  

Recognition is given to the skipper with the most laps who is sailing an over 40” boat and the same for the skipper with the most laps sailing an under 40” boat.

This year has been a very bizarre sailing season.  We’ve had everything from very frequent stormy weather to heavy weeds early in the season, to closure of alternative venues due to bacterial contamination.  It was hard to get in the amount of sailing we normally like to have.

The 2024 Enduro was somehow fitting for the end of this year’s racing.  The Enduro normally has rather chilly, blustery New England fall weather.  This year we had chilly weather, butwhispery light winds that occasionally gusted to 4 miles per hour.

Some boats moved fairly well while some boats barely moved.  Then different boats would sail away while other boats barely moved.  Then the wind would pick up a little more and everybody would be sailing around until the next lull.  It was hard to tell at any time who was leading.

You can see by the scores that the top boats were a mixture of designs, sizes and weights.  The top 5 boats were only separated by 4 laps. Some of the lower scores were because skippers had electronics or battery issues, or they just got caught in some of the slow-moving flotillas and were held back.

All-in-all, it was a fun time.

This year’s winner in the Over-40” division was Cliff Martin.  Herb Dreher won in the Under-40” division.

Lastly, I would like to thank our scorekeeper, Sue Martin, who had to sit for 4 hours, bundled up in scarves, towels, blankets and anything else she could find to keep warm, while we sailed.

Cliff Martin, Commodore