Making the big leap

We speak to new Irish TP52 owner Eamon Conneely about his step up to the class from a 37 footer...

While the TP52 classes on both sides of the Atlantic this season will be like a gathering of the clans for pro crews, specifically those not competing in the America's Cup or Volvo Ocean Race, so among those funding the campaigns will be some equally experienced owners from George Andreadis, Doug de Vos, John Coumantaros to Philippe Kahn.

Joining these titans of the keelboat classes comes a refreshing newcomer in the form of Irishman Eamon Conneely, who's new Reichel-Pugh designed Patches is currently nearing completion at Green Marine.

A successful property developer and sub-contractor with businesses in London and the Midlands as well as his native Galway on the west coast of Ireland, Conneely says he only got into yachting three years ago when he bought a Westerly GK34, sailing her out of a local sailing club on Galway Bay.

However his graduation has been a rapid one and for last season he acquired the Dubois 37 originally known as Victric IV, subsequently rechristened Nimmo and, in Conneely's ownership, Dark Angel.

"When I bought Nimmo, I decided to get someone in to coach us and I got Jamie Boag to come over to Ireland for three weekends and we really got the bug and really got into it," Conneely recounts. A successful 2004 saw him crewing on board the Whitbread 60 O2 in the Round Ireland Race, an experience he clearly enjoyed becoming captivated by big boats. He then took Dark Angel to Cork Week, finishing a respectible third in IRC1. "When I got to Cork I again fell in love with the big boats - the Farr 52s and Z86s. I thought they were absolutely fantastic. I decided at Cork I was definitely going to go with the bigger boat. I had been planning to move up to 50ft in two years - in 2006 - but I decided to bite the bullet and buy the TP52."

While one could imagine the persuasive Jamie Boag waxing lyrical in full sales mode, Conneely says this was far from the case. "In fact he tried to talk me out of the TP52 because he thought it might be too big a leap for us. Once I’d made up my mind then he was very helpful in advising me."

Conneely went across to San Francisco to see TP52 racing at its best as the American fleet sped around San Francisco Bay at 20+ knots in the Rolex Big Boat Series. While in San Francisco that they signed on the dotted line with Reichel Pugh and shortly after commissioned Green Marine to handle the build of their new TP52.

The new Patches is due for launch at the end of April and her first race will be RORC's MeesPierson Yachting IRC Championship in early June. While Green Marine's other new build TP52 John Cook's Cristabella cannot get down to the Med too soon, Patches will head there in a more round about fashion. Conneely's plans for his new boat only partly involve the TP52's Med circuit. "What I really want to do is long offshore, rather than these regatta races," he says. "We are doing the Dun Laoghaire Dingle which is 300 miles and we are using that as our qualifier for the Fastnet Race. And we are doing Sovereign’s Week, the Irish IRC Nationals which are being held at Kinsale, Cork. Then we are supposed to be coming over to do the Admiral’s Cup as part of an Irish team which they are trying to put together. We are making our boat available to an Irish team if we can put together a Mumm 30 and a Swan 45 - which is looking doubtful."

In line with his offshore ambitions, the race this year Conneely appears to be looking forward to most is the Rolex Fastnet Race in August. After this the boat is at present scheduled to head down to the Med to sign in with the rest of the TP52s at the final event of their season in Sardinia before rounding off the year at the Rolex Middle Sea Race. The winter will be a short one as Patches is due to head over to the States to compete in the TP52's 'global championship' in March somewhere in Florida.

Conneely's sailing ambitions are more aligned to those of the American owners who typically in addition to round the cans races compete in the Bermuda Race, Chicago-Mac, etc. "I want to do more offshore. I want to do the Transpac. I definitely want to do that. There are some fantastic offshore races in America. That’s really what I think the boat is made for - offshore, rather than round the cans."

However while his ideal races are in the US, on the point of owner-driver he is more aligned with the Europeans. "I am in the European camp, because I am not a very good driver! I definitely support the Category Ones!" he says.

Last weekend saw Conneely competing at RORC's Red Funnel Easter Challenge on board the chartered Farr 52 Team Tonic with his new Anglo-Irish crew including skipper Ian Walker, fellow double Olympic medallist Shirley Robertson and keel boat heavy weights such as Jules Salter, Lou Varney, Simon Fry, Guy Barron and Mo Gray. The result, after a disappointing OCS in the first race, culminated in a resounding overall win ahead of fellow Irishman Colm Barrington's Ker 39 Flying Glove - a promising start for what looks set to be a team to watch this season, certainly one with the most enthusiastic of owners.