Getting back to his childhood dinghy roots has been a seamless transition for Charlie Enright who has switched gears these past few weeks from big and offshore, to small and inshore. On day 2 of racing in the VX One fleet, sailing with David Askew and Patrick Farrell on Wizard, after seven races his team was tied for first with Flying Jenny sailed by Sandy Askew, Drew Barnes and Rob Greenhalgh. However, the fourth race on day 2 didn’t go as planned; Wizard finished fourth, dropping to second overall after Flying Jenny.
“It’s been fresh out there, that’s for sure,” Enright said. “We’re three points out which is fine for a day which could have gone disastrously for anyone at any given time.”
A veteran of two round-the-world campaigns and some fifteen years in offshore racing boats, Enright is fully embracing the sporty VX One finding it just a different kind of challenge. Mostly, he says, it’s a lot of fun especially when the racecourses are on the warm, turquoise waters of the British Virgin Islands racing with the Askew duo who he has sailed with for some ten years.
“I originally sailed with David on his Reichel Pugh 74, and then his Volvo 70, and a TP52 but over the last few years he’s got into race car driving and ownership of a couple of race car teams so he’s just getting back on the water here in the VX One and loving it,” Enright explained. “Conversely, Sandy has been sailing smaller boats like the Cape 31 and Melges 24s now for at least three years now with Rob Greenhalgh and Drew Barnes – we’re just trying to hang onto their coattails this week.”
Enright, who raced the BVI Spring Regatta last year on the Gunboat 68 Convexity2 owned by Don Wilson, grew up sailing dinghies in his then hometown Bristol, RI, but it’s been a while.
“I haven’t sailed small boats for years,” Enright laughed. “I guess I am showing my range – or my age – but it’s good to get back into little boats. It takes us a little longer to get things but usually by the end of the day on the VX One we have it figured out and we’re right in the mix. They’re super physical boats but to the fleet’s credit, everyone’s doing a good job. I love the boats, they’re awesome, and it is a great group. This whole regatta is just old school sailing fun, it’s a nice part of the world with good breeze and the platform makes it feel even more like that which is great.”
After he winds up in the BVI this weekend, Enright heads off to Pensacola, FL, for a TP52 event where he will be sailing with Peter Askew, David’s brother, on Askew’s Botin 52 Wizard. Over the summer he’ll sail the Great Lake Series on Wizard, and in between he’s racing Transpac on Convexity2, a busy schedule he noted.
“The GL52 Southern Series is two events, we did well at the first one and now we hope to close it out with the second one – I feel a little more at home on that boat!” Enright smiled, adding, “But, we are sharpening our knife this week with this kind of small boat sailing.”
