Fay leases Enterprise

Press, 24 February 1988, Page 34

Fay leases Enterprise

PA Auckland The former round-the-world maxi yacht NZI Enterprise has been leased by Michael Fay’s America’s Cup challenge as a benchmark for the new super yacht due to launch next month. Enterprise is still tied up in legal wrangles over ownership between the Te Awamutu farming syndicate which backed the former skipper, Digby Taylor’s aborted attempt to win the Whibread race two years ago, and the international hotel chain, Pacific Sun, now in receivership. ThA. Enterprise Adventures syndicate chairman, Max

Jones, says the Cup challenge has leased the yacht on a month-to-month basis. He said it would ease the financial situation “without prejudice” while the yacht’s ownership was sorted out. “We are still hopeful of a buyer for the boat and strangely enough, last month we had inquiries from people in Switzerland, Portugal and America,” he said. The maxi, renamed Castaway Enterprise, is now ashore at a Westhaven boatyard for a much-needed facelift in preparation for its new role.

The leading Auckland designer, Murray Ross, $ expected to helm Enterprise

against Mr Fay’s 90ft waterline giant. He was a watchcaptain for Taylor during the Whitbread. Mr Ross, who has a successful practice designing fast gulf and ocean racers and trailer yachts, is a former international dinghy sailor and last year won the Auck-land-to-Suva race aboard his own 40-footer, Satellite Spy. During Mr Fay’s last cup campaign, Ross was involved in Fremantle as a helmsman and sail adviser testing KZ7’s forerunners, KZ3 and KZS. Commitments to his design firm forced him to withdraw from the Cup programme before the series began in October 1986.