The regional forecast was for 15 to 25 km/h southwest winds, but
the XCSkies and RASP showed little to no winds at altitude. The lift was
supposed to be 600-700 fpm to the top of lift at 9,000' with no cu's.

The cu's were forming over the hills before 10 AM. The winds were light at Mt.
Hotham and Falls Creek so we decided to go to Buffalo and to fly out into the
flats. Scott Barrett has a VHF radio for aircraft frequencies so we could
accompany him through the CTAF at Wangaratta if needed. We set a task that
didn't require this:

We would be flying under an 8,500' ceiling for the Albury airspace (and later
4,500') but we would be just outside the Wangaratta CTAF airspace (if we didn't
go in too far to the turnpoint cylinder). Scott would be there to warn any
traffic on 119.1 if we went into the cylinder.

We drove up to the Buffalo launch and while there were mixed winds in the valley
it was trickling in at launch with the clouds 1000' over launch coming over the
back but not fast. With so few pilots it was a joy to be setting up just behind
launch without all the usual hassles.

Just before we were ready to launch Olli and Lukas (from Austria, not Germany)
flew over launch having launched at Mystic Hill earlier. That was a good sign as
we now knew for certain that there was lift out front.

I took off first and headed for the rocks to the left. Olli was circling there
and it was easy to get to cloud base at 1,000' over launch (quite low) at
5,300'. I waited around for the others to launch and get up. Carey got to cloud
base but then headed out into the valley in front of launch instead of going to
the northwest along the rocks. I never saw him again but heard later that he was
way behind.

Olli, Lukas, and Andy headed out to the next set of rocky cliffs to the
northwest and Scott and I followed. We let the three pilots in front of us blow
past the five kilometer start circle. I don't think that Lukas or Olli knew what
the task was and besides they probably didn't want to fly out to Rutherglen.

Scott and I stayed back and watched the others from inside the 5km start
cylinder. We worked some weak lift then I decided to go. Scott found better lift
just outside the start cylinder and got to cloud base before going back to snag
a latter start. With these AAT tasks your time starts when you cross the start
cylinder.

Olli and Andrew were circling in lift under nice cu's further down the
ridgeline. I came in under them and climbed up. There were three nice thermals
along the ridge and I climbed back up to cloud base at 5,500'. Scott came in
below me. I had climbed up to Lukas. Olli had headed out toward Myrtleford Hill.
Andy was out in front.

 I found one more thermal under a small cu and worked 360 fpm to 5,700'
with Scott again coming in below with Lukas. I could see Andy turning under a
cu, four kilometers away toward the ridge west of Myrtleford. It was in the
direction of the western edge of the ten kilometer first turnpoint that was
centered at the Gapstead winery on the intersection of the Snow Road to Milawa.

I didn't find any lift under Andy, but a cu formed a little further along and I
got to 4,200' there before diving into the ridgeline. Scott ignored the thermal
I was in and headed to the ridgeline directly from our last shared thermal. He
headed for the clear cut area. I then saw him turning near or under Andy who was
to the east closer to Myrtleford, up above the ridgeline and climbing reasonably
well.

I went for Andy as I saw Scott get lower and lower then get flushed back toward
Mt. Buffalo. I made it over the ridgeline to the north side going through some
heavy sink to arrive well below Andy at 2,700' to hook into 300 fpm. That got me
to 4,400' just below Andy. Scott landed shortly thereafter.

I headed out north toward the western edge of the next turnpoint (twenty
kilometer radius) but there were no cu's ahead. It was all blue out on the
flats. Then a small cu popped up seven kilometers to the north and I went for
it. Down to 2,100' I found 160 fpm and stayed with it as I drifted back to the
south away from the next turnpoint.

The thermal faded out at 3,100' and I saw some scraggly cu's over the hill sides
above the Gapstead winery. I had lost Andy as he came in above me at the last
thermal out on the flats. I was able to climb to 4,100' above the winery and on
the hillside then head northwest to get back out on the flats and away from the
trees.

The eastern edge of the second turnpoint was to the west and I had to get out on
the flats if I wanted to get to it. I was just trying to stay up as I wasn't
getting high. I pushed over to the flats south of the Pines (a south facing
launch) and worked my way slowly across the flats to the northwest in light
winds, mostly out of the west. I didn't find any lift greater than 200 fpm.

I got to the ridge east of the Pines launch and worked 180 fpm to 3,600' (about
3,000' AGL) and then headed west down the ridgeline to get the eastern edge of
the turnpoint cylinder. There were trees and difficult retrieve areas to the
north and I wanted to get back out on the flats as I was so low.

Down to 1,500' AGL I saw Andy's glider under a tree. I headed further west and
down to 1,000' (and assuming that I was going to land) I found 150 fpm and
drifted back toward the east at seven mph, drifting back into the hills and away
from the flats. I was so low that I wanted to stay near the flats so that I
could have a good landing and have an easy retrieve. It was nothing but dirt
roads up in the hills even where there were fields to land in.

With the west south west wind I worked thermals of less than 100 fpm for the
next five thermals always diving off to the northwest, finding something at a
little over 1,000' AGL and drifting back over the hills in the wind. Next diving
down into the flats to the northwest to 600' AGL I found 200 fpm and finally
climbed above 3,000' to 3,800 (3,200' AGL). I was thirty five kilometers south
of the goal and there was no one else out there. I assumed that all the other
pilots were down or way behind me. Lukas had landed near Scott.

The wind turned more south southwesterly at about seven km/h. I was working lift
that averaged over 150 fpm and mostly staying a bit higher. I could see the Hume
highway ahead. Belinda and Scott were in the car just below me on the highway. I
kept working northwest to get around the trees on the hillsides, and to be close
enough for retrieval if needed,

I pressed ahead but finally my luck and time ran out and I landed north of
Springhurst next to the highway sixteen kilometers short of goal. I assume that
I won the day.

The lift continues to be weak for the most part here in northeastern Victoria
(where it isn't flooding). It is very green here and there were no cu's after I
left the winery. You could see the low inversion. I flew under the Albury
airspace for much of the way. There was no air traffic at Wangaratta. Scott
monitored it in the car and called on the frequency. I didn't enter that CTAF.

The flight on the
HOLC, on
XContest, on
Leonardo