The Sunday forecast was for for 300-400 fpm, top of the lift/cloud
base at 5,000', with an east northeast wind of 11 knots. There were supposed to
be a few cu's, thin ones. The wind had died down on Saturday so I was hoping for
a repeat.

Ten of us lined up on the west runway with John Chambers first and I was second.
I pinned off at 1,100' just over the trees on the east side and worked 100 fpm
to almost 3,400'. John was just above me. We were drifting quickly to the west.

We had a preliminary task to go to Coleman to the northwest and then back, 70
km. But the winds were strong, the lift was weak, and we weren't getting nearly
as high as forecast. We headed in that direction just to see if things would
change. They didn't.

We changed the task in the air to make for a smaller task, but still one that
would take us back to Quest: the northeast corner of the Green Swamp, up to the
Turnpike and 33 and back to Quest. We were quickly at the first turnpoint, 12 km
west northwest of Quest.

We were stuck at the turnpoint for fifteen minutes being pushed west while our
next turnpoint was to the north. Finally after getting to 3,500' I just pushed
ahead against the 11 mph wind, and found lift over the 100 acre nursery which
always seems to work at least in some part of it.

After a couple of thermals I spotted a cu five km to the north and headed toward
it. Another cu formed over me as I got half way there. John followed and we
climbed back to 3,700'. I race ahead to the cu further to the north as it
disappeared but found 140 fpm as I drifted back toward Center Hill.

At this point we gave up on trying for the second turnpoint and were hoping just
to be able to make it back to Quest. John was low and drifting even further
west. I found push forward find some weak lift and drift back just trying to
stay in the air.

After a couple of thermal I found 100 fpm to 3, 900'. I was able to use the
altitude to get me to the east side of the nursery. John was just behind me. I
worked four more thermals of 150 fpm or less working my way slowly southeast
making it about 3.5 km closer to Quest Air.

I left the last thermal at 2,100' heading for a field that looked half way
promising. I had been keying on dry looking fields, open, and as big as
possible. Every once in a while I could feel that I was getting close to a
thermal because suddenly I would speed up over the ground as the wind would be
blocked. It was like the thermal was pulling me in.

I passed over the good looking fields not finding much of anything and headed
for some trees and a slot with a reasonable looking landing area ahead. I was
just feeling for the lift.

I found broken 100 fpm at 1,100'. I just stuck with it for fifteen minutes as it
slowly got stronger to 250 fpm. I knew that I needed better than 3,000' to be
able to make it back against the wind.

John came in under me but a little to the north and didn't notice me or that I
was climbing maybe 1000' to his south. He landed in the big field that I had
flown over not finding lift.

I climbed to 3,400' and was then able to stuff the bar as I had an L/D of less
than 6 to 1. I was able to make it back to Quest.

It was a day to carefully find the lift and to be very patient. No need to worry
about the fact that in thermals you went away from your goal.

http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/para/flightinfo.html?flightId=-871920431

http://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/4.4.2010/18:07

http://xc.dhv.de/xc/modules/leonardo/index.php?name=leonardo&op=show_flight&flightID=132250