History
The TP52 Class Association was first started in 2001 by owners who wanted to race a Grand Prix sailboat that was fun, safe and reliable. The first hull (J-Bird III) was launched in 2001. TP52’s was designed to be raced by both amateur and professional sailors alike and were originally designed to be fully-crewed high performance racing monohulls capable of racing in both buoy regattas and offshore races. In the early 2000s, TP52s won nearly every well-known distance race including TransPac, Sydney Hobart, Bermuda Race, Chicago to Mackinac. The excitement of buoy racing however catapaulted the boat to an entirely new level.
While it has held various names, the TP52 racing circuit first began in 2005 and has evolved into one of the world’s leading racing circuits. Today, known as the 52 Super Series, this racing circuit is highly competitive while still holding onto the original spirit of the TP52 class. The 52 Super Series races predominantly in Europe with events across several countries. The desire to bring the spirit and energy of the 52 Super Series closer to home led to the creation of multiple fleets in different geographical locations, namely Australia and the Great Lakes in the US.
The GL52 Fleet was founded in 2019 by five TP52 owners– Doug Devos, Windquest; Chris Duhon, Mockingbird; Austin Fragomen, Interlodge; Robert Hughes, Heartbreaker and Phil O’Niel, Natalie J. The GL52 North American fleet is member of the TP52 Class Association which incorporates TP52 Class Global, the 52 Super Series and TP52 Australia. The GL52 Fleet is unique in that unlike the 52 Super Series, it does not abide by the ‘Box Rule,’ which has strict height and weight limitations. As such, the boats are raced with handicap scoring adjusted for their ratings. The end result is incredibly competitive racing with the added elements of boats working in the off-season to optimize their boat within their rating.
Since it’s inception, the GL52 Fleet has grown to almost double, with 10 boats joining for the 2024 Summer Great Lakes Racing Series. The Summer Series always features both inshore buoy events as well as offshore distance races, including the Chicago to Mackinac Race. Competitive racing and comraderie go hand-in-hand with the GL52 fleet, with many corinthian teams sailing alongside highly pro teams.
GL52 Racing 