http://soaringspot.com/2010tsss/

http://westcoastbrit.blogspot.com/

It looked from the forecast that it would be another day like Friday with a
higher cloud base, maybe up to 8,000', very light winds, 97 degrees on the
ground, and plenty of lift. As this was the last day of the meet the task
committee decided to call a double out and return task of twenty six miles, with
the first turnpoint out to the northeast, then back to the airfield, then
another turnpoint out to the west northwest, and then back to the airfield. No
one would be too far away.

The cu's started late like they had the day before with high bases. We again
waited until 2 PM to open the launch window.

I was first in line again as others were not rushing to get going. The wind was
light out of the south. I was hauled up by Rodger in the more powerful tug this
time to the field to the north and I pinned off at 1,900' AGL in good lift. The
lift averaged over 300 fpm and I climbed out quickly to 5,800'. It looked like
it would be another strong lift day.

My plan was to wait around up at cloud base for everyone else to get going and
see who I would fly with. I was hoping for Joe and Ben to help out with the day.
I was trying to move them up to second and third place. That was our goal for
the day. I was so far ahead that I would really have to fall down hard to drop
out of first place.

Joe got let off below me and was climbing well but his radio wasn't letting him
transmit. Ben pulled the pin at 800' AGL under me but the lift wasn't there and
he had to go back and get in at the end of the launch line. He would be the last
person to launch.

Planes kept flying into the airfield which disrupted the launching a bit,
although we were off to the side of the runway. I was waiting for Ben and
couldn't see Joe any more. I would find maybe 40 fpm, maybe 80 fpm under the
nearby cu's over the airfield, just to keep me near cloud base, but no one else
was getting up at all. Only Kent was beginning to get up as I watched Chris not
climb up and everyone else was low.

Finally around 3 PM, after an hour of hanging around at cloudbase Kent finally
made it up to my level. No one else was nearby, Ben finally got his second tow
up. Kent headed out toward the first turnpoint so I decided to go with him as
there was no one else around. I would have much rather gone with Joe and Ben.

We headed out at 5,400' and two miles out Kent found some light lift under a cu.
The lift was less than 100 fpm and we got back up to 4,400'. Kent headed toward
the turnpoint and got lower but I saw a nice cu to the southeast and decided to
give that a try just to be safe. I found 74 fpm under it on average and only got
back to 4,200'. I then saw Kent turning just before the turnpoint and going up
fast. I raced toward him and the turnpoint.

It was only a mile and a half to the turnpoint but I was down to 2,000' AGL when
I got the turnpoint and then went under Kent. The lift averaged 140 fpm but I
was only able to get back to 3,600' before I lost it as it broke up. There were
little bits of forming cu's down the course line and I was drifting further and
further to the north away from Carter in the five mph southwesterly wind.

I headed for the haze dome looking cu's but didn't find any lift and landed a
third of the way back to the airfield. Kent had gotten up well and was working
in the general area that I had flown to, but I didn't see him.

Ben was on the radio and near me. I saw him, Joe, Chris and another pilots off a
few miles to the northeast low but turning. Joe and Ben got up but Chris and the
other pilot did not. Ben told me that Chris, who was in second place, had
landed, having gone a shorter distance than I. It was obvious that the day was
difficult.

Ben and Joe got up a bit and flew south coming to right over the field that I
was breaking down in. Joe and Ben circling up over that field four or five times
each time being blown back to the northeast as they climbed up. They were over
that field for half an hour.

Finally they both got to 4,500' and headed southwest and were able to climb in
the next thermal to 5,600'. They then went on glide getting the airfield
turnpoint and then gliding for a total of eight miles without finding any more
lift. They made it two thirds of the way to the next turnpoint. Joe was able to
win the day by a tenth of a mile over Ben, so that five different pilots were
able to be day winners. Kent made it back to the airfield and a little beyond.

Given the difficulty of the day and they fact they no one made it very far, even
with our low GAP parameters ( 40 km), the day was devalued to a little less than
400 points. Still there were enough points to allow Ben who was fifty points
behind Chris in second place and Joe who was a hundred, to move up one spot
each.