Fabiano Nahoum <<marusco>>
sends:

Transcription of Nenê Rotor´s account of his tumble, recorded by
Nenê himself on WhatsApp, later on the day it happened.

“I'm okay, just a few bruises, but it was pretty radical.”

“In competition we always fly very close to the edge of safety, or even beyond. I
made a mistake, got a little behind the lead gaggle, but then managed to
recover, and was doing well. Left my gaggle behind but got to the waypoint low
and there was a thermal right at it. I drifted with it, but I was very close to
the ground, between 50 to 100 meters above the ground and I saw that there was a
dust devil forming and I went for it.”

“Then I hit a too strong thermal. If I hadn't tumbled I'd have climbed in a rate
that would have taken me to the ceiling in just a few minutes. But unfortunately
the dust devil was very violent and it felt to me like I was some vitamin shake
in a blender! It was impressive. So much so that I didn't even know what was
happening. I was just being hit everywhere.”

“My glider already tumbled, very close to the ground. My arms hurting, I found
the reserve, and it came easily out of its pocket. I threw it to an open gap
amid the glider wreckage. Even in such low altitude it's worth it to look and
think before you throw it to the right spot because it's the only chance you
got. And I was successful.”

“The chute opened maybe about, hmm maybe less than five seconds before I hit the
ground. Andre Wolf was right above me and watched it all and told me later that
when the chute opened he counted 1, 2 and then I hit the ground, so it was
something less than 5 seconds.”

“The experience was valid only because nothing bad happened. The glider was
almost intact, only a few broken battens and as for the sail apparently just a
small hole, minor stuff. And I'm alright, I'm alright. Tomorrow we'll be ready
for another. I will fly, take a few painkillers because I'm still sore and
that's it guys. Free flight, straight up my veins.”