| HULL | Carbon |
| LOA | 15.85 m |
| BEAM | 4.37 m |
| DRAFT | 3.2 m |
| BEAM | 4.37 m |
| HOIST | 22.4 m |
| SAIL | 93.5 m2 |
| DISP (min) | 6,975 kg |
Photos by
BOAT:
KATANA TP52
SAIL NUMBER:
US 31452
BUILDER/YEAR:
PCT Dubai, 2018
OWNER:
John Huhn
MANAGER:
Jeff Causey
TACTICIAN:
Morgan Larson
HOME PORT:
St. Louis, MO
YACHT CLUB:
CYC
The Boat
Design by Judel/Vrolijk in 2018 and built by Premier Composite Technologies in Dubai, Katana was originally Platoon and quickly showed her speed with 3 podium finishes in her first 4 years on the 52 Super Series and culminated with a World Championship and Series win in 2023. Over the winter of 2024 Platoon was shipped to the USA and became Katana.
The Team
While the Katana team is new, it’s formed from a collection of very experienced professionals with decades of experience including active 52 Super Series crew, Olympic medalists and numerous world championships, as well as America’s Cup and Sail GP veterans. With such experience the team came together quickly and demonstrated their skills in the first season on the US Great Lakes.
History
Despite being born and raised in St. Louis (not known as a sailing mecca), Katana Owner, John Huhn has spent 45 of his 55 years sailing all types of boats from small dinghies to SC70s racing in everything from beer can events to international world championships. His family and work obligations have kept him away from the sport for the past several years, but he is excited to jump back in with the GL52 fleet.
After observing a few GL52 events in 2023, Huhn was thrilled with what he saw…
“great racing at great venues, with welcoming members, great camaraderie, and a whole lotta fun!”
This team is excited to bring the World Champion TP52 to the Great Lakes and join the fleet.
Team Katana will be new to the GL52 fleet inde 2024 and they recognize that they have a lot to learn. Their goal is to have fun and get better—as a result they plan to become more competitive. This crew enjoys both the buoy events with multiple races to get “at bats”, as well as the adventure of distance races; they plan to compete in both.
Schedule
From the excitement of ‘round-the-buoys to distance races, find out where Team Katana will be competing next! We follow the GL 52 series and regatta schedule (available at gl52racing.com), and will be at the following events. See you there!
June 13, 2025
June 27, 2025
July 12, 2025
July 19, 2025
July 25, 2025
August 14, 2025
October 3, 2025
News
Theres always something happening for Team Katana. Catch up on the most recent news and find out what we’re up to: having fun, getting better and bringing more competition to an already strong fleet.
Katana Tops the Ugotta Regatta
A Grueling Test for Katana in the Chicago to Mackinac Race
Queen’s Cup 2025: A Close Race
Katana Wins Big Red Regatta
2025 Southern Series Wrap Up
Katana’s Unforgettable Inaugural Season
Follow Us
Get all the Team Katana action you can handle. Follow the links below to find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Great photography, behind-the-scenes stories, and candid video, click below to get up close and personal with us on your favorite social platforms.
Thank You
It takes a village to keep a grand prix racing team operating. Thank you to all those families and friends who have assisted team Katana to date and thanks to our partners that support this up-and-coming team. Our partnerships and friendships are greatly appreciated.