The
results, getting better every day.







The forecast again calls for overdevelopment  perhaps just scattered
thunderstorms and cu-nimbs, it is never exactly clear just what the RASP and XCSkies mean when they forecast areas of no lift or a general area of
overdevelopment. A general area is likely to actually be a few specific areas,
but who knows which ones.



The forecast is also for a light east wind at launch elevation, but around 6 to
8 knots on average through the boundary layer. Cu's are in the forecast with
cloudbases at 8,000'.



Given our safety considerations, i.e. stay away from cu-nimbs, we decide to head west
as far as we can (Bogabri, before the forest) and then south. It's a crap shoot
just where the cu-nimbs will be, but maybe if we go early enough and have a
short enough task (100 km) we will avoid running into them.



The east wind is quite strong when we get up to the east launch but dies off
quickly. We call a 12:30 launch time and 1:30 start open window. The east launch
is only launchable when there is a thermal coming up the face (given that the
wind has died out), and I launch potato waiting for a good thermal. Finally I
let Bruce and Ian through when there is a little wind (but nothing down below),
then wait again until there actually is a thermal.



Billo is checking the trees down below and says something is coming. I tell
Belinda to tell the guys behind me to be ready to go immediately after I go
because the thermals have been short. Five pilots get off.



Conrad and I fly over to the northern launch where Dick Heffer got up in the
last thermal (which he took with him when he launched just in front of me). We
don't find anything. We do see Maxim head out east to a thermaling paraglider
and find a good thermal just before he gets there. A half dozen of us come in
under him and this thermal takes all of us to cloudbase at 10 minutes before the
opening of the first start window.



Bruce, Ian and Dick head west not paying much if any attention to the start gate
time. I follow a bit lower but find lift at the edge of the start circle away
from the hill and hang in it until the start window opens. You can start early,
your flight is just moved back. It's great to have three pilots out in front of
me, who are actually behind me when the scoring is done. Another example of why
this way of handling early starts is the most appropriate way.



There is a sky full of fluffy little cu's and every now and then there is a
solid core of lift, but for the most part it is broken up and a bit hard to
work. Jonny and Blay start together south of me and 1000' higher so I don't see
them. 10 kilometers into the task they see Maxim tumble on his Aeros glider. 
After a few revolutions the wings fold up. After 50 seconds (it seems) Maxim
throws his chute. He then separates from the glider. The glider and he land near
each other next to the paved road. Jonny and Blay see that he is walking
around and continue on their way. I'm a 1000' higher just to their north.



I come in over Jonny just before the gap and find good lift. I miss the fact
that Blay is just to our north in much better lift. Jonny leaves our lift for what
turns out to be better lift where Blay was and gets a jump on me. I come in
under him and then work broken lift, heading west looking for better. Blay
gets much higher than either of us.



I dive into the mine under a dark cu and find a solid core. Jonny and Blay have
gone ahead and I've lost track of them. I'm five kilometers right of the course
line. I climb to 6,500' and then head back toward the course line toward a dark
cloud. Before I get there I hook a really powerful one and climb quickly to
cloud base at 8,000'. While I'm climbing Blay has made the turnpoint and Jonny
is low five kilometers before it.



I'm only 10 kilometers from the turnpoint at Bogabri and when I get to it I'm
sitting over a bunch of pilots groveling, including Jonny. I find good lift
there right away and climb back up high. Blay has already headed south, but is
stuck low on a small hill. I leave the turnpoint with 7,300' and Jonny leaves at
the same time with 5,900'.



I head for the small hill 10 km toward the south which is upwind of the course
line a bit but it looks like there is a nearby cloud. I don't see Blay surfing
the hill, but when I get there and find a nice core he is just over my head. We
climb up to just over 6,000' and head out together. Jonny is just behind us and
lower.



Blay and I continue flying together, me just to his left and behind and below
him with Jonny a few kilometers behind. Blay goes on glide 19 kilometers from
goal. I find a boomer of a thermal at 17 kilometers from goal and get real high
very quickly. I go on glide and pass Blay as he gets low and has to work his way
back up. Jonny comes in later.



Pedro Morelli takes the last start time and blazes through the course in less
than two hours, taking first place. Ian Duncan, who started early, is second,
and I'm third for the day.



Day Three:

#	Pilot	Glider	Time	Total Points
1.	Pedro Garcia Morelli	Moyes Litespeed S4	01:57:30	883
2.	Ian Duncan	Moyes Litespeed S4	02:21:52	787
3.	Davis Straub	Moyes Litesport 4	02:24:02	769
4.	Richard Heffer	Moyes Litespeed RS 4	02:27:28	741
5.	Blay Olmos	Moyes Litespeed S 3.5	02:29:57	722
6.	Bruce Wynne	Moyes Litespeed 4S	02:34:04	692
7.	Ben Dunn	Moyes Litespeed RS 3.5	02:24:23	684
8.	Ky Wittich	Moyes Litespeed 5	02:35:12	647
9.	Gabor Sipos	Moyes Litespeed RS 4	02:42:11	639
10.	Warren Simonsen	Airborne C4 14	02:33:48	632

The cu-nimbs come but they are widely scattered.

http://OzReport.com/1233576967