https://airtribune.com/questxc/blog__day_16

With a forecast of very light winds and a high cloud base we planned to launch
at noon. After our failure two days ago to get much traction on our attempt
going around the swamp we were ready to make the attempt again with even better
prospects with lighter winds.

After Majo launched and stayed up at 10:30 on Thursday we thought that we should
at least try to get going at noon. That would also help us deal with any issues
of over development which were predicted for late in the afternoon.

After Timothy had his lunch I was off first with Niki Longshore, Michael
Williams, Yoko Isosmoto and Zac Majors in line behind me. There were only a few
scattered cu's about and Timothy took me toward the nearest one to the west just
south of Osborn field. The lift was weak and easy to hang around in, but the
cloudbase was low at 3,500'. It was early. I needed to hang on and hang tight as
I waited for the rest of the crew.

Moving to cu's to the north by the Ginseng grow houses I was joined by Niki and
Michael. We just hung in the light lift and waited for Yoko and Zac to launch
and catch up with us. We were five kilometers northwest of the launch.

Mike headed west toward the scattered cu's that formed a bit of a line over the
Green Swamp along the course line. I headed north west to the north side of
highway 50 and the north east end of the Green Swamp toward some nice looking
cu's but a few kilometers north of the course line, but also, over open landable
fields. Niki followed.

We climbed up at the nursery on the north side of 50 as we watched Michael low
ahead of us running hard to the north to get over landable fields. He was soon
on the ground. He tactic of going right smack dab over the Green Swamp did not
work out unlike twi days previous given the light lift and low cloudbase.

I pushed 5 kilometers ahead to the west along the highwaytelling Niki that I
would scout out the next thermal. There was a small cu 6 kilometers ahead and I
found lift just before it. Zac had caught up with Niki, but no one knew where
Yoko was. We heard her now and then on the radio. The ham operators were
checking up on us.

The line of cu's over the swamp continued to build and near the lumber yard at
the intersection of highways 50 and 471 I headed south into the swamp a couple
of kilometers to get under the better looking cu's. Nike and Zac were slowly
following to the north.

Following the line of cu's west I left behind landable fields and carefully
worked the continued weak lift climbing to 4,200' making it easy to get across
the forested areas. Niki and Zac stuck to the north side of highway 50 and over
landable areas.

Niki was struggling to the north as I made the turnpoint to the west at the 5
kilometer cylinder around I75 and highway 98. The cu's were getting fuller and
more distinct. I was finding some lift that averaged over 200 fpm.

I headed south and glided for 10 kilometers to find 200 fpm over a horse farm on
the western edge of the swamp. A short distance away I found even better at 300
fpm to 5,100'. Meanwhile Niki had landed back before the first turnpoint and Zac
had to dig himself out from 500' near Niki.

After a nine kilometer glide I got over the landfill, a usually reliable source
of lift and there was 250 fpm there for me. After climbing to 4,800' I headed
southeast over the swamp toward the turnpoint at the bottom at the intersection
of highway 471 and 98 and it all went to pot.

I found some lift but then lost it and headed back toward landable areas and
finally all the way back to the landfill down to 1,300'. Meanwhile Zac had dug
himself out and had made up the 12 kilometers that he was behind me when I
headed out toward the turnpoint and was high and climbing to my east over the
swamp. I climbed out over the landfill at 240 fpm on average to 2,700' and then
moved to a better cu and found 300 fpm to 3,700'.

I kept moving to better cu's and better lift toward the turnpoint and climbed at
400 fpm to 5,100' five kilometers out. In the meantime I heard from Zac that he
just made the turnpoint and not wanting to head along the course line to the
northeast over the swamp toward the goal at Quest headed east. He got down to
2,000' before finding 150 fpm to work.

As I headed to the turnpoint I noticed that it was blue in that direction but
there were great cu's to the northwest of the turnpoint over the swamp. At 3
kilometers out from the turnpoint north of it over 471 I decided to shave the
corner and head for the lift that was promised to the east. I found over 400 fpm
in the next thermal to 5,200'. Zac was struggling after he left 200 fpm.

I went on a 11 kilometer glide toward nice looking cu's on the south eastern
edge of the swamp. Zac meanwhile was digging himself out from 500' again to my
south. The sink was light over the edge of the swamp and under scattered cu's
finally I found 300 fpm to 5,400'. We heard every now and then a faint Yoko on
the radio but had no idea where she was.

Plenty high and over the swamp I decided to stay over the swamp and headed for
cu's to the north. It looked like I had bale out options if it all went pear
shaped. I was in no hurray as I was waiting for Zac to catch up so that we could
fly together. This was no competition as we are supposed to be working together.
And besides I had just blown off the last turnpoint.

A few kilometers south and west of the Seminole glider port and over the Van
Fleet bike trail in the swamp I found 250 fpm to almost 6,000'. Getting this
high turned out to be a mistake. I had been watching the cu's ahead and it
looked like there is a cloud street all the way into goal from just north of the
glider port. That cloud street would provide way more lift than we needed.

Racing ahead now given all the extra altitude that I had I soon found myself not
losing much and having to pull in harder and harder to try to get down. Zac was
chasing me and only a kilometer behind when I was none out. Fortunately that
kilometer was enough to get me to goal just ahead of him but way way too high as
he skimmed in and landed quickly.

Yoko was still in the air and as we watched cu-nimbs form way to our west and
cast a shadow over Quest we waited for her return. I went off after putting
everything away to do some mowing and didn't even see that she made it in until
much later. The exploding cu's did not stop the lift to the south of Quest.

http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/para/flightinfo.html?flightId=1697490329

http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/para/getScoring.html?scoringId=319

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/1390649

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&l=en&date=20160324&contest=INT&gliderclass=hg1

http://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/29.4.2016/16:16

http://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-open/

Looks like a day to go to Georgia tomorrow, but I'd rather stay local.