https://www.facebook.com/Central-West-Classic-Aerotow-Hang-Gliding-Competition-636680029844757/?fref=ts

http://williamolive.com/central%20west%20classic/comp%252520results%2525202016.html

Task 4:

Cumulative:

Niki not scored yet for task 4. Jonny knocked out of first place.

Niki writes:

Task 4. It was an epic day for flying - not so much for me but I
definitely had an adventure.

I got off tow in a boomer and went up like a rocket. Jonny, Josh and a few
others raced over to me and seemed to have missed the strong lift I was in.
Jonny missed it all together as I watched him and Michael search for it low.

I was very happy to leave the third gate high and with my team mates Josh, Rob
and Tony. They pulled on the speed and I saw them sink like rocks. I hit 600 up
and stopped to top off my height. I lost sight of them but wasn’t too concerned.
The clouds were just starting to pop and it only got better and better. I felt
confident I’d be catching up in no time.

I was soon in sight of them just 3k out of the first TP as they were just
leaving. I was high at cloudbase and loving life. They were fairly low and
charging ahead to find their next climb. They found it, but it took a decent
glide upwind to get to it.

Mistake #1. I should have noted it could possibly be a struggle for me as well.

Jonny caught up to me but he was still low and I was thinking “that sucks.”
Cloudbase was a little over seven grand AGL and I was anxious to get to the
boys. I tagged the waypoint, pulled on speed and went upwind into an unpromising
sky.

Mistake #2: It is more important to stay up even if it means going backwards
than racing into a headwind going down.

I went to the badlands. I figured, it's so ugly and different from the rest of
the terrain that something has to be lifting off. I saw an RX ahead turning, but
wasn’t really going up. I was getting drilled and got to the RX low, couldn’t
find it, then bang! Ok here it is, Nope, yes, uh oh, I better get this right
soon, osing altitude, OMG, I have to land here.

There were places to land in the hilly forested terrain, but nothing looked
great. Retrieve was certainly going to be, Fun.

3 - 2 - 1 On the ground. OUCH! What the hell is this stuff?! It was a field
thick with thistles. Waist high thistle with prickly jaggers. I looked around
for the closest path and it was going to be a nightmare just to get to it. It
took me a good 40 minutes to get my harness there first, then walk back for my
hang glider. My legs were all scratched up.

Snakes: Specifically, the brown snake. I did a lot of talking to myself (some
screaming and yelling too), singing, clapping, whistling, doing whatever I could
to make noise to scare the snakes away so I wouldn’t become victim to
Australia’s deadliest snake.

I was relieved when I finally got my gear to the clear path to break down.
Luckily I had cell phone signal and was able to chat with Dave, our driver.
Looking at Google maps, it looked like I was on a path that would lead me to
civilization.

Dave: Nice guy but technologically illiterate. An hour goes by and he couldn’t
find me. I was baffled! It all seemed too simple! Get onto Warden road then veer
off at the Y. We chatted some more and it was clear he was lost. I asked for his
coordinates so I could backtrack and he didn’t know how to do that. He was
clearly not going to be able to find me, so I told him I’ll start walking and
hopefully we’d meet halfway.

I grabbed my harness and went for the 3k hike. The “path” I was on was ok at
first. Then I came to an electric fence. Luckily it wasn’t zapping, so I spread
open the wires and crawled through it. All good. No shock, and I continued to
hike. The thistle started to encroach on the path and before I knew it, I was
completely swarmed in it again. There was NO WAY Dave was going to be able to
drive the car to get to my glider. Where the hell was this road I saw on Google
maps?!

Since I was already getting scratched and torn up, I figured I might as well cut
across the field to the highest point of the hill to see if I can see anything.
Turns out I was going the wrong way. Josh and Jonny were watching me on spot
tracker and told me to get to the field to the west which would lead me to a
farm house.

Thank GOD the next field over didn’t have any thistle!

I kept chatting with Jonny and Josh who were telling me I was on the right route
to the road. My mood was slowly getting better, but I was still not happy about
having to walk back to get my glider.

I came across two more electric fences. The second one was clear, the third one
got me and boy it was a surprise. I did the old grass test to see if it would
sizzle, then I touched it. All good, or so I thought. I spread the wires and
crawled through and mid crawl BZZZZZ! I almost keeled over.

Shortly after I regained sensation in my arms, I looked up to see Dave across
the way on the hill ahead.

Strike me pink, hope is near! And with frosty's! After spewing all day for the
mistakes I had made, I was getting as dry as a dead dingos donger and I really
needed a coldie.  (How about that mate. This sheila is picking up all the
Aussie lingo).

I ended up having to walk to him the rest of the way because he didn’t know how
to get down.

We finally got to Warden Road and I navigated us to the unnamed road that was
supposedly going to lead us to where I had left my hang glider. It took us to a
farmhouse and a gate. Luckily the owners were home. I explained my situation and
they hopped on the gator and lead the way though five gates on the Google maps
path that I couldn't find.

Ten minutes later, we picked up my hang glider and started our way back to
Gulgong.

I heard lots of people made goal, and I’m not surprised. The day was epic. I
simply did two rookie mistakes that have gotten me to the ground before. But I
did it anyway. When will I learn?!