#NSVICTORYLIST: ATOMIC BLONDE WINS THE SEASON

Congratulations Team on Winning the WA Offshore Yacht SISKA Trophy

The JPK 10.80 Atomic Blonde placed 3rd overall in the recent Fremantle to Exmouth race, being also Division 2 line honours winner. Highly variable weather patterns ranging from drifting conditions to near gale force made it a challenging race. This capped off a very successful year for Atomic Blonde and her crew, and emphatically sealed the coveted SISKA trophy for overall best offshore race yacht in Western Australia. This is the first time in 14 years a Division 2 yacht has won the trophy and was especially pleasing for the crew who are all Corinthian sailors. Atomic Blondes owner Dr Simon Torvaldsen filed the following report; “A key factor in the success was the decision to use North Sails for the new mainsail and jibs. Upwind performance is critical to winning races in Western Australia. Having the 3Di RAW sails resulted in 20kg less weight loft compared to the previous configuration and the one piece moulded construction delivered performance as promised, being precisely shaped to the boat design. The fact that North Sails had extensive experience in JPK sail design in Europe was a big factor in the decision to use their sails and the results speak for themselves. Utilising high tech construction and very precise design means that sail settings and rig tune need to also be very precise, small differences in settings can have a big impact on performance. So time needs to be spent by crew in getting the rig and sail settings correct. This is where after sails service and back up from the sailmaker is important, and the North Sails team spent considerable time on the water with Atomic Blonde and her crew to optimize the boat tune and enable the performance potential of the new sails to be unleashed. Winning the major offshore trophy over a whole season requires a lot of time, effort and teamwork, especially when competing against highly competent, motivated and professional opponents. It needs a top boat, crew, gear and sails. North Sails became an integral part of that team and the quality of the sails and tuning advice played a key role in securing the SISKA trophy for Atomic Blonde.”