The
results.




http://www.westcoastbrit.blogspot.com/



http://www.jonnydurand.blogspot.com/



The forecast was for southeast winds at 10 knots, but the task committee was
tired of sending us a long ways away down wind.  There was little chance of
over development. The cloud base would get to over 10,000'. The lift was
predicted to be strong with minimal cu's, if any. Staying local would be tough.



With no cu's around it was hard to motivate hang glider pilots. The punters were
paragliding about and getting up. The wind was from the south but the thermals
were coming up the west face. The start window was set for 2 PM, but no one was
getting going. I did that the day before, and found myself alone. So I waited
also, but almost too long.



A few hang glider pilots launched and slowly got up north of launch. The pilot
in front of me waited through good launch conditions because he was afraid that
he wouldn't get up. Blay had launched and was working hard to stay up and get
up. He showed no fear of falling down.



Finally the good launch conditions returned, Jonny got off, then the pilot
in front of me and I was right after him. The air was rough out in front from
the crossing south wind. There was lift, it wasn't pleasant lift. We drifted
north just staying up until finally finding a good core two kilometers to the
north. We took that to 7,000'.



I then found another core and road that to 9,400'. The lift was pleasurable up
high as was the temperature. It was 39 Celsius today (at least). Forty
forecasted for tomorrow.



I was climbing and waiting for the last start time at 3 PM. I had lost track of
Jonny and Blay who were most likely to our south. Conrad, Jonas (from NZ) and
another pilot were climbing up under me as I slowed down at the top of the lift.



As the 3 PM witching hour approached I headed out in front and crossed the start
circle edge thirteen second after it opened. We were right over a small ridge
line that heads east (toward our first turnpoint at Wenart) so I continued down
the ridge line with three gliders in tow.



There were thin scattered cu's ahead and it was only a 4.5 km glide to the next
thermal. Conrad and I were together now and that lift got me back to 8,500'
before I left it as it was just too rough. Conrad followed.



I went on a long glide hoping to get into a better lift regime. I could see a
pilot way down low ahead of us and turning so I figured I'd go to the hills down
wind of him to find better lift.



Sure enough it was there and turned into 400 fpm before I left it at 7,500'. I
could see a dust devil ahead and was hoping for better lift.



The dust devil turned out to be a tractor which I figured out long before I got
there. I saw that there were plenty of cu's ahead so I went for them. I had to
turn south to get upwind of the turnpoint and get under the good looking cu's.



It took three minutes of searching around but finally I found the core at 2,000'
AGL. The thermal turned on and averaged over 500 fpm as it drifted me toward the
turnpoint, how convenient.



I looked up and saw Blay and Jonny just upwind and a few hundred feet higher.
Conrad came over me.



I twirled the glider (which is easy to do with the Litesport) and soon climbed
through Conrad on a Litespeed and up to Jonny and Blay who had come over to join
us in the better thermal.



We just nicked the waypoint at 9,000' in the 9 mph southeast wind and then all
of us headed due west trying to get under more cu's forming in that direction.




There was a small range between us and the next turnpoint twenty kilometers back
at four corners. The wind was blowing hard and we were moving slowly getting
beat up by the broken lift coming off the range. I just kept going wanting to
make it past the range and to get into lift coming off the flats further east. I
didn't like the air and just wanted some smooth stuff. I didn't care that much
how much altitude I was losing.



Finally out on the flats I found a nice thermal that was pleasant to fly in and
was strong enough at 470 fpm that going backwards in the wind didn't matter that
much. Jonny, Blay and Conrad joined me again and we all climbed up.



Conrad dropped off and Jonny, Blay and I headed off for the turnpoint. Shortly
we ran into another 450 fpm and got to 10,000'. We wanted all the height we
could get to go up wind into the blue ahead.



I pulled the gaggle and headed for the turnpoint five kilometers upwind. Jonny
noticed that while I started out below them I was above the horizon when they
went looking for me.



Being in front, when I got to the turnpoint I had to make the choice without any
help. There was a nice cu five kilometers ahead off the course line over the
ridge line that we flew over going out. I headed for it even though it was to
the left.



As I proceeded I saw Jonny heading straight down the course line into the blue.
I decided that I would go with him staying a kilometer to his left. What I
didn't know at the time was that he was sticking with Blay who was just off to
his right an a hundred feet lower. I just didn't see him.



Jonny would have gone to the cloud that I spotted also, but he was sticking with
Blay, as he noticed that Blay just flew along the course line and always seemed
to find lift and get up.



The sink was thick as we glided along. I found spots of 1000 fpm down. There was
a little cu ahead, but too far ahead. Jonny was below me but in front.



The sink was too much. I saw Jonny hit a thermal two kilometers ahead of me as I
came into land. Unfortunately Blay was in the same position landed just two
kilometers ahead.



Conrad came along a few minutes later following Jonny. He found 1000 fpm just
before he got to Jonny.



Conrad and Jonny would go on to win the day (in that order). Ian Duncan would
make goal also, maybe more much later. There were much better conditions later
in the day.



There was a third turnpoint at Manilla and goal was an Godfrey's. 

http://OzReport.com/1233920974