Yea a late entrant to solo racing, but he did it the right way and came up through the Class40 ranks, sailing in the lower-level races before jumping into the big leagues.Michael Hennessy is a family guy who's also a managing director at morgan stanley who apparently started ocean racing after a midlife crisis. He didn't grow up with ocean racing in his blood like l'cleach.
That being said, I give him props where props are due and I've been rooting for him from the start. His sailmaker is my sailmaker and he just left for Guadeloupe to deliver the boat after the race is over.
It was interesting that he strayed from the pack and headed more north beating into the wind a few days longer than the others.
Class 40, not Open 40I've met him (Hennessy) at Shelter Island Yacht Club. Seems pretty normal or even laid back for a guy who would take Open 40 out in solo ocean racing. Maybe being a hair on fire adrenaline junkie isn't the best temperament for that game. I could understand that that a calm personality who can deal with scary situations might do better. I don't know having not experienced that kind of sailing.