Galway builder Eamon Conneely, credited with attracting the Volvo round the world race to Galway for 2009, may have come late to sailing, but he has certainly jumped in at the deep end. Alan Betsonwatches as he launches his second €1.5 million yacht, Patches II , at a regatta in Alicante
My grandfather used to say the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Eamon Conneely is an extreme case in point when you consider the lengths to which he has gone to retain the competitive edge with Patches II, his second 52ft Transpac racing yacht in as many years. This sleek, black-hulled beauty, built strong but light, is brimming with the latest in racing technology. With 14 professional crew aboard, including four Irish faces, they're twitching for the off before the launch in Alicante, where a blistering pace of 20 knots or more will be the norm.
One of Tommy and Annie Conneely's 10 children from the townland of Patches, near Claddaghduff in Connemara, Eamon inherited his father's love of the sea. He returned to Galway in 1998 after 20 years in Britain, and became a regular at Galway Bay Sailing Club evening races. His participation in the BMW Round Ireland Yacht race in 2004 inspired the building of Patches I, his first TP52, in 2005. Under the stewardship of the double Olympic silver medallist and America's Cup sailor Ian Walker, Patches I quickly made its mark, hoovering up a long list of international titles. He puts his immediate success down to the quality of his team. "It's all about choosing the right people for the right job, empowering people to make decisions and avoiding micromanagement - just as in business," he says. His bright eyes light up further and his smile broadens as he talks about the design and planning process for the new boat. The hull was constructed by an Australian company in China, the keel was made in Italy, the sails come from the US and the mast and boom were sourced in The Netherlands. What's ahead now is the adrenaline rush of competitive sailing and the elation of victory.
Preparations for the day's sailing start early, with the hull below the waterline being cleared of any trace of growth and polished back to its glassy black finish. The cavernous hull is filled with a suite of carbon-fibre-reinforced sails, carefully chosen for the wind conditions of the day. The sails are good for a season, maybe less, their replacement costing in excess of €100,000.
Captain James Carroll takes the crew through the manoeuvres for the day's practice. He talks of "hatch hoisting", "two-man bounce", "grinding the gybe" - the pro-terminology goes well beyond your average sailor's vocabulary and comprehension.
The team jumps to life, and the sails are hoisted and unfurled in seconds. Despite a very light wind, Patches II takes off with the smooth acceleration of a fast car. The bowman scarpers up the mast to adjust the rigging, a most unenviable job when under high winds and race conditions.
They are competing in the Breitling MedCup this summer. In Alicante, they came in third, followed by a fourth in Palma Mallorca, and tomorrow the crew hope to defend their reigning title in the Copa del Rey. The final regattas in the MedCup series will be in August in Portimão, in Portugal, and Hyères, in France. After that the campaign moves to Sardinia, to defend their title at the Rolex TP52 Global Championship.
Conneely's affair with the sea goes beyond Patches. He is also a key investor in Wavebob, a wave-energy generator deployed by the Marine Institute in Galway Bay in conjunction with Sustainable Energy Ireland. He has also been instrumental in bringing the Volvo Ocean Race to Galway in 2009 - an event that could bring €150 million to the region and another kind of colourful race week to the City of the Tribes.
You can follow the boat's progress on www.patches.ie. The Breitling MedCup is on Setanta Sports