The wind forecast is for light winds, but no cu's.
XCSkies (NAM or RAP)
rarely show cu's, but we've learned to ignore it regarding that forecast,
especially if there are southeast winds at all (which almost always mean cu's).
In a north wind condition, dry air is coming in and often that means no cu's. We
have to look at the
SkewT to see if there is an inversion or a dry air mass above that would
preclude cu's. And no cu's was the forecast from the SkewT.

The top of lift was predicted to be 4,000' to 5,000' at 1 PM, so Larry saw no
reason to hold off launching then. Larry had come up with a task south to the
roundabout at Dean Still and highway 33, east over to Wallaby (I made it a 2
kilometer cylinder), back over the area behind locked gates (south of highway
474) then further to the northwest to Center Hill (1 kilometer cylinder),
northwest of Quest, and then back to Quest. A total of 114 kilometers.

Larry apparently likes bow-ties, although I never see him wearing one.

I was pulled up first by Zhenya just before 1 PM and pinned off at 1,500' AGL in
300 fpm which I took to 4,500'. Larry pinned off just to my east and we climbed
up together. We headed south along highway 33 into the blue and we found strong
sink (no doubt to a line of sink set up by the south wind). I finally veered off
to the west and found light lift. Larry was down to less than 1,900' and found
better lift nearer highway 33 and I joined up with him below him.

We climbed to 3,900' at over 275 fpm and then again headed south. Not finding
anything and going down quickly I veered again off to the west and found 460
fpm. Larry joined me as we climbed to 5,900'. I had dressed extra warm (5
layers) for today but it was not enough. I was still cold.

Three kilometers later we climbed back to 5,600' and I was still cold. At this
point I decided just to fly south until I got down low enough to feel warm
again. Larry called out 200 fpm behind me near the glider port, but I was having
none of it as I was still too high. I glided nine kilometers down to 2,800'
before I found lift again. I was much warmer at that altitude. I was no longer
flying close with Larry, but team flying by calling out lift in front.

The fast flying racing down the course line was a good idea. We're not in an
official competition yet, but we are interested in how well we are flying and
that means comparing ourselves to others. Here that means flying fast between
thermals.

Now I was out in front on my own with no cu's to guide me. No other pilots to
make up for that either. There seemed to be plenty of good lift, so I was not
unhappy with my circumstances. I found three good thermals and I was back to
5,600' but having warmed up and going as fast as possible between thermals to
get down to warm altitudes. The last of the three thermals averaged 500 fpm, so
there seemed to be better lift than on our cu filled sky days.

I could hear John Simon not that far behind me so I raced on, taking the
turnpoint at the intersection of Dean Still and 33 and heading west down Dean
Still. A 400 fpm thermal a few kilometers from the roundabout got me to
5,400' and then I raced to down to 2,700' just to the edge of the two kilometer
circle around Wallaby. The thermal there was only 240 fpm, but I wanted to get
high enough to be sure I would have plenty of altitude for the first part of the
next leg. Of course, this allowed John to get a lot closer. I climbed to 4,400'
before saying enough is enough, I'm going to find better lift out to the north
northwest.

I headed for a small debris fire and took 300 fpm to 5,200'. I was getting used
to the cold as long as I didn't have to stay there very long. Oops, there was
John right at my altitude just to my east heading north. I raced on.

We found over 500 fpm to 5,900' and then pushed even harder toward the
northwest. Coming over the east/west highway 474 we found only 330 fpm. It was a
little after 3 PM and we climbed to 6,000'. Will Ramsey came in under us as we
climbed but we left when we got high and he was still working the thermal. I
hadn't ever seen JD or Ken.

We glided ten kilometers getting down to 2,700' getting a mere 10 to 1 with a
two mph tail wind. We had headed for some small fires that a farmer was using to
burn scraps from the orchards. The lift was broken and ratty and we only
averaged 350 fpm, then 250 fpm as we kept searching for the actual thermal, back
to only 4,400'.

Larry behind us go low just west of the intersection of 474 and 33. He struggled from 1,100' but
then found 350 fpm to 4,500'. The next thermal at 250 fpm got him to 5,100. Then he hit the jackpot
climbing to 6,100' just southwest of Quest. After that it was a very long glide to the ground.

Everything was falling apart for us. Going north the lift was now much weaker and we
couldn't get over 4,000'. We didn't find anything over 200 fpm, and many
thermals were quite a bit less. It still wasn't even 4 PM, but the lift had
severely decreased. As we struggled over Osborn field two kilometers west of
Quest we heard from Will on the radio that he was at 4,500' in 400 fpm. Somehow
John and I were in the wrong territory.

John got a bit higher and got out ahead of me at this point. I had earlier
considered just cutting the task short and heading for Quest as we were right
next to it and within an easy glide, but John persisted, so I went with him. We
headed over to the big nursery north of highway 50 after Will called out good
lift by the chicken coops, which we did not find. John found better lift to the
north but I didn't find it.

Three kilometers from the Center Hill turnpoint after a run through 600 fpm down
I was down to 1,000' AGL. John was two kilometers ahead at 3,000'.

I thought I was landing but found 100 fpm, so I stuck with it with a three mph
tail wind from the southeast. Fifteen minutes later I left it at 2,600'. Larry
had just landed two kilometers behind me and soon after that John landed after
making the turnpoint, leaving 150 fpm to come over me thinking I was going up
fast, then finding 800 fpm down.

JD was down and so was Ken back by the Dean Still turnpoint. Will was still in
the air and he had made the turnpoint and was flying with John but higher until
John came over to me. I made the turnpoint with an L/D of 18 to 1 there and back
to the thermal that I left. It was doing better and I found over 200 fpm to
3,500'. For some reason it didn't go any higher.

I worked bits and pieces of 100 fpm going back toward Quest to the southeast
knowing that I needed more altitude to make it back. There was a pretty good-looking fire to the south due west of Quest and down to 2,500' I headed for it.
I came over it at 1,000' but I missed any lift if there was any. I jumped over a
forest and landed in a big field four kilometers from goal on Empire Grade road.

Will was able to make it back to goal, the only one. If he turns in his track
log the results and the replay should be up on Airtribune,
https://airtribune.com/2018-quest-air-cross-country/results/task3090/day/overall,
https://airtribune.com/2018-quest-air-cross-country/blog__day_20.

https://www.xcontest.org/usa/flights/detail:davisstraub/5.3.2018/17:57