38 58 10.92 N,75 52 0.00 W,Highland Aerosports, Ridgely,
Maryland, USA

The winds were supposed to rotated around during the day from the
east northeast to the southeast by 5 PM. It looked like there wouldn't be any
cu's. The lift looked quite good, best so far, although XCSkies/RAP values need
to be halved. The winds were supposed to get up to 13 knots at 2,000' at 5 PM.

Larry wanted a site record task, 182 km to the north to the Appalachians, but
there seemed to be too many cirrus clouds and not enough wind for that task, the
one the squeezes us through the top of the peninsula. So we called a zig zag up
the peninsula with the first leg close to the sport class goal 36 km out to the
north northwest, just west of Chestertown.

There was little waiting around today as there was a stray cu over Ridgely, one
of the very few that we saw all day. Bruce, Larry, Tom and I got in the air
right away. I climbed up to 5,300' after experiencing strong lift throughout the
tow.

Unfortunately that peaked too early, fifteen minutes before the first start
window, and we had to go back to the airfield to get back up again in time for
the second start window. The gaggle formed up and at 2:15 we were off with
Mitch, Larry, Bruce, Dave, and a bunch of other pilots.

 Mitch found the first thermal off to my left, but it was weak. We
continued on and after a few false starts found 350 fpm to 5,300'.

After a couple of good climbs we approached the Chester River east of
Chestertown south of our first turnpoint. Mitch was low with another pilot and
Bruce, Larry and I worked the weak stuff above them. This is really a poor idea
and finally we move north closer to the river as Mitch got lower.

I spotted a flea market operating just before the river and figured that it
would be the spot. I went there and sure enough, the thermal averaged 400+ fpm
to 5,500'. We were high and in front. We hit more lift just north of the river
and then went on glide.

It was an 8 kilometer glide to the turnpoint without any lift and then another
three past the turnpoint before we found a little something. Bruce was a bit
higher than Larry and I as we started working 75 fpm. Bruce had his own thermal
a little to the south. He didn't seem to be doing all that great either as we
struggled to work up from 1,400'.

The lift was terrible and I could tell that there was some sea breeze mixing
causing it to be weak and slightly turbulent (nothing like the first task). No
steady core and lots of moving around to find bits and pieces.

I finally found a bit of core but Larry and Bruce were now above me and I had
lost track of them. The lift gave up at 2,100' and I was not that happy with
being in it any way so I proceeded east toward the next turnpoint with slim
chances of finding a way up.

Down to 600' I came upon a small thermal over a fir tree plantation and was
quite willing to climb in it while I figured out the wind direction (it was from
the south) in case I needed to land. The thermal kept happening and I just was
happy to find it more fully formed than the previous one.

High above me I could see Mitch, Bruce, JD, Bob, Jim, and Larry. Perhaps others.
They seemed to be getting up in the same thermal as me, or one close by. A few
of them would eventually get to 6,000'. I was climbing at 200 fpm.

The wind was 11 mph put of the south south east and I was drifting toward the
Chesapeake Bay. It was spectacularly beautiful, although I really couldn't
concentrate on the scenery. This is what a small portion of it looked like when
I was thermaling and drifting taken from Google Earth:

Bruce and Mitch left the gaggle far above me but the rest of them came back west
toward me as they saw that I was climbing well. They would eventually leave
before I got up to them, but it was great to have my thermal so well affirmed.
John Simon, who took the next clock, came in at my level and we would fly near
each other the rest of the flight.

The next turnpoint was 15 km to the east cross wind and by the time I got there
with John we found the guys, JD and Jim Messina, and Dan  who had been
above us and climbed up to them. Then it was on to the races.

The next turnpoint was to the north 15 kilometers. I headed for the chicken
coops ahead as they have been doing a very admirable job getting us up. These
were no exception. I had heard from Belinda that Larry was getting low out in
front of us so I wanted to be sure to stay high. (Larry would get down to 1,000'
at the last turnpoint.)

Two 300+ fpm thermals and the 6030 said that I had the goal made easily around
the turnpoint. The goal was only 9.4 kilometers east of this last turnpoint.
John Simon was just below me, and JD was behind me and above, so I couldn't see
him.

The race was really on and then suddenly half way to goal there was Larry going
fast below me and passing me up. Time to really speed up.

I passed John and soon passed Larry but JD was above me and unnoticed so he came
in six second earlier. There was no one at goal, but Mitch and Bruce had made it
earlier and then went off somewhere for a while before landing.

The flight
here.

Spot here.

Live Tracking
here.
(Just a few points get recorded).

The daily results for open
here and sport
here. Michelle Haag made goal for the first time on her thirteenth
cross country flight.

The cumulative results for open
here and sport
here.

Cumulative open: