Please select your home edition
Edition
Hyde Sails 2024 - One Design

Rolex TP52 Global Championship at Miami - Overall

by Rolex Media Centre 13 Mar 2006 05:53 GMT 7-12 March 2006
Eamon Conneely's Patches wins the inaugural Rolex TP52 Global Championship at Miami © Daniel Forster / Rolex

Patches wins inaugural Rolex TP52 Global Championship

As if to prove that the TP52 class is now one of the most competitive and hardest fought games in sailing, the two leaders - Philippe Kahn's Pegasus 52 and Irishman Eamon Conneely's Patches - entered the final day and two windward-leeward races of the Rolex TP52 Global Championship, sailed in conjunction with Acura Miami Race Week, with Kahn's boat ahead by just 0.75 points. At the end of the first race today Patches had regained first place, though leading Pegasus 52 by just 0.25 points. The outcome would come down to the final race.

Patches and Pegasus 52 tackled the pre-start of this last line-up like an America's Cup match race, the two boats aggressively circling one another beyond the committee boat. Their progress up the first beat was relatively even until the approach to the weather mark where Patches was approaching on starboard with rights while Pegasus was on port attempting to barge its way in between the starboard tack boats.

"It was going to be close to cross with them as they had Glory right above them, but we had them, had them, had them - no problem - and kept going fast, but they did a nice job," said Pegasus' Ken Read on what transpired just prior to the mark rounding. "All of a sudden I think they got a flat spot and were hunting a bit. In about 15 seconds it went from a cross to a no cross. But by that time we were committed in there and there was no bailing out." Patches was forced into a crash tack to avoid colliding with Pegasus' transom, its crew protesting loudly. Pegasus immediately carried out a 360-degree penalty turn relegating it to last position. Finally, after rounding the mark the team had to perform another turn for having fouled within two boat lengths of the mark. "If you live by the sword you die by the sword," said Read.

This weather mark incident was clearly the deciding moment of the race, but while most teams might have taken it as a final knockout blow, Pegasus did not. Kahn's team admittedly brought up the rear for the next legs, but by the time the race finished they had done an admirable job climbing back to third place, immediately behind Patches. The finish wasn't enough to beat them overall. Eamon Conneely's team, led by British double Olympic medallist Ian Walker, won the regatta by just 32.25 points to Pegasus' total of 33.5.

"I was very nervous last night and yesterday after winning," admitted Eamon Conneely. "We had to beat Pegasus in both races today. It was incredibly close, so close you couldn't have engineered it. And it all came down to the last race..." Patches won this regatta in a particularly dramatic 'come-back' style after it had been forced to retire from the high scoring distance race on Thursday night with severe breakage to the deck, scoring maximum points in the process.

"I am thrilled for Eamon," said Walker. "He has put a lot of time and money into the boat. We only just made this regatta with the guys working for a month to fix the keel after Key West and then to break the boat here and fix it over night... It is quite a big team - not just all the guys on the boat who sailed well, but all the guys who have been fixing it and designing it and making it happen."

Despite finishing second, Ken Read was pleased with how their all-star team on Philippe Kahn's Pegasus 52 had performed. "We don't feel bad at all about how we did," he said. "We got beat by a boat that had a little more time under their belt and were more prepared. We didn't even make Key West and we've worked really hard to get to here. Quite frankly Philippe and whole team were all pretty proud to come second. And it was fun. Hats off to Patches - quite frankly the best boat won."

While all eyes were on today's Patches and Pegasus showdown, there were two other noteworthy performances. The first race, ultimately won by Patches, saw the oldest boat racing lead for the first four legs. John Buchan's (Seattle, Wash.) Glory (originally named Yassou) was one of the first TP52s ever built. "We caught the shift and started on port tack. Then, we led for four legs, so that was great for us - a bunch of amateurs from Seattle," commented navigator Andrew Koch, who runs the boat, praising designer Bruce Nelson, who has been sailing on board as tactician this week. This is the team's first regatta in the boat which just three weeks ago was upside down in a boatyard having major surgery performed to convert it from being a 2001 generation TP52 into a 2006 one. "It is snowing in Seattle right now - 85F and wind, Miami's a pretty good place to be," concluded Koch.

The final race today was won by Bambakou. "We always peak on the last day, by that time we are warmed up we know what we are doing and it is time to come home," joked owner John Coumantaros, who attributed the success in this last race to his team picking the shifts well.

Bambakou also earned the Offshore Trophy for best performance in the two offshore races this week, Thursday's 200-mile overnight race and Saturday's 35-mile coastal race.

"What can you say? With 15-20 knots all week, it couldn't have been better conditions. Two days of windward-leeward races, a distance, a coastal race and back to the windward leewards - it is a fantastic mix of racing," concluded Coumantaros, summing up the feelings of all those have enjoyed this week of superb weather and top level yacht racing at the inaugural Rolex TP52 Global Championship, taking place at the Acura Miami Race Week.

At an on-shore ceremony following racing, Eamon Conneely, with the crew of Patches, received a Rolex Yacht-master timepiece in Rolesium. He also received the TP52 Global Championship perpetual trophy.

Overall Results:

1. Patches, Eamon Conneely, Galway, IRL, 1-6-3-1-1-1-15[DNF]-1.25-1-2, 32.25pts
2. Pegasus 52, Philippe Kahn, Honolulu, HI, USA, 6-1-1-5-4-3-6-2.5-2-3, 33.5pts
3. Beau Geste, Kark Kwok, Hong Kong, CHN, 4-3-6-4-2-5-3-7.5-6-4, 44.5pts
4. Bambakou, John Coumantaros, Newport, RI, USA, 5-8-4-6-7-4-1.5-6.25-4-1, 46.75pts
5. Rush, Thomas Stark, Newport, RI, USA, 2-4-2-10[DNF*]-5-2-9-8.75-3-6, 51.75pts
6. Stay Calm, Stuart Robinson, Royal Thames YC, UK, 3-7-5-2-3-6-10.5-3.75-7-8, 55.25pts
7. Sjambok, Michael Brennan, Annapolis, MD, USA, 7-2-8-3-8-8-4.5-5-8-7, 60.5pts
8. Glory, John Buchan, Hunts Point, WA, USA, 9-5-7-8-6-7-7.5-10-5-5, 69pts
9. Braveheart, Charles Burnett, Seattle, WA, USA, 8-9-9-7-10[DNF*]-9-12-11.25-9-10, 94.25pts

Note: Finish places for the race 7 counts for 1.5 times the points and race 8 counts for 1.25 times the points.

Related Articles

Saint-Tropez set 52 SUPER SERIES season opener
Crioula and Vayu won today's short, sharp warm-up practice races In a light breeze which reached 10kts at the most - a foretaste of what is forecast for the coming days on the Gulf of Saint-Tropez - Crioula and Vayu won today's short, sharp warm-up practice races. Posted today at 7:45 pm
American Magic Quantum Racing ready for season
2025 52 Super Series Season Opener this week in Saint-Tropez, France The 2025 52 SUPER SERIES season gets under way this week in Saint-Tropez, and American Magic Quantum Racing returns to the starting line with a fully unified sailing team that merges the two racing programs under one name. Posted on 28 Apr
Alegre set for the2025 52 Super Series
Love and mutual support will be the key First to launch a new 2024 generation boat, sistership to Platoon Aviation, they had a solid season - fifth overall just 7 points behind Sled - but are still trying to get back to finishing on regatta podiums as they last did in Puerto Portals in 2023. Posted on 28 Apr
TP52 Pallas Capital Gold Cup Act 3
Hooligan Secures IRC NSW State Championship Act 3 of the Pallas Capital Gold Cup took place as part of Sail Port Stephens with four races sailed, following the abandonment of racing on the final day due to winds over 40 knots. Posted on 27 Apr
Sail Port Stephens Performance Series overall
Hooligan and Zen reign after SPS wash-out Sublime sailing weather on Day 2 of the Sail Port Stephens 2025 Performance Series was followed by a ridiculous amount of rain and wind today, with no further racing allowed. Posted on 27 Apr
Sail Port Stephens Performance Series Day 1
Fluctuating tides & fortunes Day 1 of the 2025 Sail Port Stephens Performance Series yesterday had a bit of everything - highly competitive racing on- and offshore, tropical islands, fluctuating tides, fluctuating fortunes and a hint of controversy. Posted on 26 Apr
Sled looking to avoid 2024's late season slide
As the 52 Super Series starts next week in Saint-Tropez Fourth overall last season, 2024 and fourth also on 2022's final standings, fifth in 2023 Takashi Okura's USA flagged Sled team start 2025 looking to find the small percentage gains here and there. Posted on 25 Apr
Is the Côte d'Azure set to deal a dose of déjà vu?
All set for the 52 SUPER SERIES 2025 season opener next week Teams from the 52 SUPER SERIES, the world's leading grand prix monohull circuit, have been hard at work through the winter and spring preparing for the 2025 season, technical updates giving way recently to on the water training. Posted on 25 Apr
Sail Port Stephens Performance Series Preview
Four major trophies are up for grabs Having been on cruise control earlier this month for the Commodores Cup Passage Series, Sail Port Stephens 2025 now goes up a gear for the Performance Series starting tomorrow (April 25) and running through to Sunday. Posted on 24 Apr
Preparation and fine tuning at an all-time high
As the 52 Super Series 2025 season beckons With the start of the 2025 52 SUPER SERIES season looming large on the horizon, more than half of the race fleet have just completed a pre-season training week as teams look to reach a level of preparation never seen before in the fleet. Posted on 18 Apr