Dave,
Before you think about getting an Ensign, you should check out what happened at the Inter-Lake Yachting Association (I-LYA) Regatta at Put-in-Bay, Ohio two or three years ago. We had a catamaran fleet there, as usual, and there was also an Ensign fleet. I am not sure of the exact circumstances, but Rick says the wind picked up to 15-20 and wreaked havoc among the Ensigns. As he recalls, at least two of them sank and others swamped. So if you get an Ensign, make sure you stuff it full of flotation. The newspaper at Put-in-Bay is the Put-in-Bay Gazette. I don't know whether they have a website and a way to get old stories, but you might want to investigate further.