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The forecast was for 16 knots southwest winds, strong lift, but a low top of
lift at between 6,000' and 7,000'. Quite cool on the ground at 28 degrees
Celsius and six to eight degrees at the top of the lift. I told everyone to
bundle up as it would be the coldest yet.

With the strong winds there was nervousness from some pilots and crew on launch
as the thermal gusts came through. Numerous pilots chose not to fly. I was on
the safety committee and said it was a go, just don't launch in the gusts.

I launched early and climbed to 5,500'. After flying around for almost an hour I
headed west with a gaggle and just fell out of the sky and landed. Took a tow to
1,000' and pinned off and it didn't turn out to be lift. Did it again and pinned off
at 1,500', this time in real lift.

It was ten minutes before the first clock at 2 PM and the second and last clock
was at 2:30. It looked to me like I was lost and completely alone. I was
circling up well but wondering if I should just take the first clock by myself
behind the rest of the field. Then Paris came in way below me.

I looked to the northeast and there were nine or ten pilots racing toward my
thermal with three landing downwind of the tow paddock. It was Lucas and Mike
Bilyk, Conrad, and Flocky, Carl, and a few others.

Together we were able to stay inside the ten kilometer start cylinder despite
the high winds and scattered semi weak lift. At 2:30 we all left together and
hung together for the next almost 100 km of the 204 km task. With the strong
tail wind we were moving very fast averaging 70 km/h.

The lift was strong and rowdy at about 350 fpm with some thermals averaging
almost 600 fpm as we approached the diving range between Parkes and Yeoval. I
lead out a couple of times just trying to stay out of the gaggles and not hit
any one. We got to 6,500', the highest all day for me at least. There was a
feast of rowdy thermals and we had to be sure to stay 2 km away from the
Parkes radio telescope.

There was good lift over the range and I kept heading out as much in front as I
could to try to get ahead of Lenny, who was pulling like crazy. The lift
significantly slowed down on the leeward side and at about 90 kilometers out
most of us scattered and got low with only a few hanging higher.

I was along down to 900' AGl in a 21 mph wind unzipped and looking at safe
landing fields when I found a weak bit of lift. I figured everyone else was high
and happy and couldn't see where they were. I was quickly passing Yeoval on its
western side.

That lift averaged 44 fpm at first then turned on to 250 fpm. I stayed in it for
10 km and 20 minutes climbing to 5,900'. Paris, Mike, Lucas, and Lenny were
gaggled up east of me. Conrad and Flocky would soon be landing.

The lift was much smoother after the low save and varied between 180 to 350 fpm.
I wasn't getting high any more, not above 6,000'. I also didn't get too low. The
lift was strongly streeted, so whenever I found 600 or 700 fpm down I turned
north, cross wind to get to the next lift line. I almost always found the line
again and then turned to go downwind. I went north to try to stay upwind of the
course line.

I could see a large patch of forest ahead and had been watching it for a while.
There was a finger of cleared pasture land through the forest, but not all the
way. It was on the course line and I was heading for it to give me the best
chance of getting back up.

I didn't find any lift on this fifteen kilometer glide and came to the end of
the finger over a 250' cliff. I was 700 feet above the ground and 450' above the
cliff. I didn't feel that I had enough altitude to go over the back and make it
to the next clearing.

I started soaring and gained 500' hitting bits of 400 fpm but was too scared to
got back over the trees with the thermal worried about not being able to get
back out if I fell over the back and then not sure I could make it to the clear
area to the north. I went back upwind over the cliff to look for more thermals,
but only got ridge lift and I was getting lower.

I could see kangaroos hopping into the woods below me. Then there were two guys
riding motorbikes below me as I finally descended and landed. Turned out the
wind was along the cliff face and not directly into it.

The two motorbike guys helped me pack up and gave me a ride back to the farmer's
house to the north. The road I had flown along to the south was behind a locked
gate on the 10,000 acre parcel. It was open from the north past the farmer's
house.

Brett the driver already had the car to my southeast and missed the locked gate,
but the farmer took me out to it and we waited on the bitumen road for Brett to
find us.

Meanwhile Mike and Paris were flying near each other back and forth in the lead
but no one gaining any advantage on the other. At twenty five kilometers from
goal Mike found 600 fpm and started coring out. Paris came in under him and
didn't seem to be able to find the lift. Mike left from about 6,000' with Paris
below still in search mode.

Closer to goal he had to stop for 350 fpm and get high enough to make it in and
as soon as he got up there was Paris right above him. They came into goal
together with Paris just ahead. Mike found out that Paris's search had paid off
and he found 800 fpm.

Jonny won the day taking the first start time, but pilots who took the one half
an hour later were faster. I never saw any pilots from the first clock and none
at all after Yeoval.