Alex Gough
Tp52 and offshore
Boat profile
Zen
Gordon Ketelbey, an avid one-design sailor, competed in the Sydney 38 and Farr 40 classes before moving to the TP52 alongside campaign manager Shane Guanaria, Managing Director of Doyles Sails, Australia.
Shane first teamed up with Gordon in 2008 on the Sydney 38 Zen and in 2015, Gordon took the next step, purchasing a Farr 40. Shane recalls “He still has that boat, and we’ve raced in the class all over the world - Sydney, Porto Cervo and Chicago for the Worlds.”
After several years of competitive racing, Gordon and Shane started looking for a new challenge. “We went down the rabbit hole of looking for a TP52”, Guanaria says. That search eventually led them to Zen 52, a 2011 Botin-designed TP52 originally built as Synergy and at the time known as Sorcha.
Gordon found it in Palma and brought it to Australia in October 2018, refitted it for offshore racing and launched it just three weeks before the Sydney Hobart.
While the boat initially performed exceptionally well inshore, particularly in the Gold Cup 52 fleet, the new fleet soon caught up. After four years of racing, they realized the boat was becoming the crew’s limit. So, they started making changes.
The modifications have been significant with changes to the keel and shaving off additional weight without losing any of the boat’s strengths. Doyle Sails, led by Shane, are managing and building the sail wardrobes for both Australian boats so there is a lot of cross pollination of ideas and knowledge going on between the two CYCA team members.
On their performance Ketelbey says “Initially we did quite well uphill, but whilst we had the uphill strength, we lacked downwind power. Eventually the modifications made us all-round much stronger, we are still fast on the beat but downwind we can hold our own.”
With a strong foundation, key upgrades and a seasoned team, which includes Tom Addis, Alex Gough and Chris Nicholson, Zen is gearing up to take on the world’s best in the Solent.
Shane first teamed up with Gordon in 2008 on the Sydney 38 Zen and in 2015, Gordon took the next step, purchasing a Farr 40. Shane recalls “He still has that boat, and we’ve raced in the class all over the world - Sydney, Porto Cervo and Chicago for the Worlds.”
After several years of competitive racing, Gordon and Shane started looking for a new challenge. “We went down the rabbit hole of looking for a TP52”, Guanaria says. That search eventually led them to Zen 52, a 2011 Botin-designed TP52 originally built as Synergy and at the time known as Sorcha.
Gordon found it in Palma and brought it to Australia in October 2018, refitted it for offshore racing and launched it just three weeks before the Sydney Hobart.
While the boat initially performed exceptionally well inshore, particularly in the Gold Cup 52 fleet, the new fleet soon caught up. After four years of racing, they realized the boat was becoming the crew’s limit. So, they started making changes.
The modifications have been significant with changes to the keel and shaving off additional weight without losing any of the boat’s strengths. Doyle Sails, led by Shane, are managing and building the sail wardrobes for both Australian boats so there is a lot of cross pollination of ideas and knowledge going on between the two CYCA team members.
On their performance Ketelbey says “Initially we did quite well uphill, but whilst we had the uphill strength, we lacked downwind power. Eventually the modifications made us all-round much stronger, we are still fast on the beat but downwind we can hold our own.”
With a strong foundation, key upgrades and a seasoned team, which includes Tom Addis, Alex Gough and Chris Nicholson, Zen is gearing up to take on the world’s best in the Solent.
AUS52001 2011 Botin TP52 TCC 1.390
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
Back to Black
Sean Langman has raced an incredible 34 Rolex Sydney Hobarts. His modified GP42 Back to Black has Irish-born, Australia-based Gordon Maguire on board. Maguire has competed in four round the world races and won just about every major offshore race since. Maguire won the Admiral’s Cup with the British team in 1989 and this year will be racing with his son Charlie. The 18-year old was not even born when the last Admiral’s Cup was last held and Charlie is believed to be the youngest competitor for the 2025 edition. Langman’s team on Back to Black also includes Matt Humphries, another veteran of four round the world campaigns and on board Chris Sheehan’s PAC52 Warrior Won for the overall win in the 2024 RORC Transatlantic Race.
Zen
Gordon Ketelby, owner of TP52 Zen, has raced 12 Rolex Sydney Hobarts and his campaign manager Shane Guanaria has 15 races to his name. Ketelby’s TP52 Zen will have Tom Addis as navigator; the three-time round the world Australian sailor has multiple wins for the Rolex Sydney Hobart, both for line honours and overall under IRC. Also on Zen will be Chris Nicholson, a multiple world champion with six round the world races to his credit.