https://airtribune.com/2018-quest-air-cross-country/blog__day_5

With my glider already setup for the last week I was trying to get the rest of
the crew around here motivated for a nice flight downwind to Williston, 109 km.
I don't want to fly unless I've had some pilots with me to make it a collective
affair. I corralled Larry Bunner, Greg Dinauer, and Rob Clarkson. John Simon was
out flying an airliner, and Mitch Shipley just got back from the CIVL Plenary.

I was suited up and ready to launch at 1 PM. The forecast was for zero lift to
our north by Ocala at 4 PM. I wanted to get going, but somehow the myth started
that cloud base was only 2,500'. Hogwash.

I just couldn't get these guys to the starting gate. It took until 2 PM before
there was movement. I got to the line first a little rushed as I had taken
everything off after no one would join me.

It was a little rough getting out of the field with the 12 mph south southeast
wind, but it smoothed out once we got over the tree height. Certainly well
within the parameters from many previous tows. The lift was gentle after I
pinned off at 2,200' and I just drifted along back toward the field.

Larry came up next and found better lift to the north so I joined him. We
climbed to 4,500' waiting for Greg and Rob, but they were just taking too long
to get going so we headed off.

With the strong wind it took no time at all to get up to the Turnpike. Larry and
I took turns leading out. I had caught my harness zipper on the string that
pulls it so I couldn't close up the lower half of the harness. But it wasn't
that cold so after a while I forgot about it.

With the wind mostly south and not southeast, our goal at Williston was not
straight downwind. We had to push west across streets to get more in line with
the course line. Heading up I75 Larry took off over Marion Oaks toward the
northwest. I was high and saw a dark street to the north that would take me over
the Ocala airfield (and airspace) but put me 10 km east of the course line.
Given that I was high above airspace and it looked like I could stay that way
under the street I went for it. It was blue out to the west with few cu's.

The forecast was for no lift at all around 4 PM west of Ocala. I was right over
the Ocala airport a little before 4 PM at cloud base at 4,800'. The top of the
airspace is 1,500' MSL. Larry was working to the north northwest to get to the
further west cloud street.

My clouds kept taking me further north as the goal at Williston kept getting
more west than north. Larry was doing better finding weak lift (like me) further
west. Still he was having a hard time getting far enough to the west.

Finally I made a run for it from weak lift at 4,300' heading west toward some
rising smoke. The smoke didn't work out but the area was buoyant and I ended up
just a little more than 3 KM short of goal. Larry found enough lift to get him
into goal with good altitude.

Not bad for a day that was not supposed to be very soarable.

Tomorrow it's a 50 mile road bike ride before the afternoon rain.