The forecast was for 12 to 14 mph winds out of the east southeast near Quest Air
turning more southerly the further north one progressed. There were significant
differences between the NAM and RAP forecasts regarding cloud base and whether
there would be cumulus clouds at all, but the cu's showed up early and stayed
all day.

Jamie Shelden and Glen set a goal at Live Oak on the Georgia/Florida border.
About 225 km to the north northwest. I idea was to have a goal, but to fly as
far as possible.

The winds were strong at 1 PM as I launched after Dana in her Falcon 140. She
didn't seem to mind the wind, and unlike the day before had a vario. Pinning off
early in 1,400 fpm (on tow) I was soon climbing in smooth 700 fpm to 4,200'. The
wind was almost due east at 14 mph.

There were plenty of thick cu's to the north and I raced toward them, but the
lift was much weaker than my first thermal and very spotty. I didn't find much
over zero sink until I was 20 km to the northwest, down to 950' AGL and at the
upwind edge of a large forested area. I had left zero sink which I had been
drifting in for the previous six minutes going quickly toward this same forested
area. I saw a few black vultures turning a bit to my north and headed for them
but didn't find anything. I thought that I was about to land in the nice open
fields east of the forest when right at the edge of the forest I ran into the
lift that those birds had found at 400 fpm.

I climbed out over the forest drifting quickly deep into it getting back to
4,400'. The lift was harsh and unforgiving as I twirled as tight as I could
manage as it banged me around. There was no way I was going to give up as I
wouldn't have made it back out of the forest unless I was high. I was now south
of the prison complex and could head north toward more open space and the next
cu's.

The lift was again very spotty and I had to get right up on the upwind side of
the very quickly shadows to get under the edge of the cu and find the broken
lift, starting from 1,600' AGL. I had not wanted to get low again but that was
what I was resigned to.

With the lift down to 200 fpm, things were a bit calmer even as the wind speed
picked up to 21 mph. I even found some pleasant lift under the center of the
cloud at the darkest spot. I had gone through so many center areas so far on the
flight without finding any lift so it was surprising to find it here as I headed
downwind from the upwind edge of the cloud.

The wind was out of the south east and I had drifted over the intersection of
the Turnpike and I 75. I was high and staying high and headed for the western
side of the Ocala airspace and Cross Florida Greenway. The spacing between the
cu's was getting a bit shorter but they looked as ragged as ever. I changed my
goal to Williston as it really didn't look like a day that making Georgia was a
good idea, but Williston looked like an easy shot.

Jamie Shelden had launched right after me and came in under where I was
thermaling in the first thermal just as I left to go north. She had poor radio
communication so I didn't her from her at first, and I just reported on
conditions ahead. Glen tried to launch after her, but broke a weaklink and then
continued breaking them never getting away from Quest Air.

Jamie was soon experiencing weak and spotty lift also not even finding that nice
one that I was in over Quest. She kept at it but down to 900' she was drifting
toward a wooded area in weak lift when she decided to land next to the Okahumpka
service plaza on the Turnpike.

She called me on the radio and said that she had landed. I decided that I would
land also and have Belinda pick her up. While it looked feasible to rather
easily make it to Williston as I was plenty high, it wasn't all that much fun in
the air.

I landed next to the truck weigh station on I 75 and that made for an easy
retrieve.

When we got back to Quest, not knowing what was up with Glen, we first saw that
his glider was tied down in the setup area. Then we noticed an ambulance in the
east facing slot where no doubt tandems were operating. This was quite
upsetting, of course. When we arrived at the setup area Glen told us that it was
a horse back rider who had been thrown when his horse bolted as Glen came into
land after flying for about an hour near Quest.

Neighbors very occasionally ride their horses down a small path in the north
field at Sheets (the name of the airfield here). In this case they just were in
the wrong place at the wrong time. Took about an hour to get the patient on the
stretcher and off to the hospital, while the dozen tandems waited.

The French Canadian pilots had also launched and one landed next to Jamie. Two
others were blown further west and found themselves on the west side of Lake
Panasoffkee, which is mostly swamp and makes for difficult retrieve. Francoise
got to a little north of Williston where he made the mistake of going to the
middle of a cu instead on the southeast edge and had to land.

http://www.livetrack24.com/track/230373/2d