http://soaringspot.com/2011rk

http://skyout.blogspot.com

http://flyingjochen.blogspot.com

http://kathrynoriordan.com

The great conditions for a competition just keep happening here at the Florida
Ridge. We couldn't be having more fun. Even when it looked like there might be
too much wind or over development it all worked out for our benefit.

The forecast was for a northeast wind stronger early, but ten mph later in the
day throughout the altitudes that we would be flying. This raised the prospect
of Lake Okeechobee suppressing the lift in the vicinity of the flight park.
Despite that, the task committee called a diamond shaped task to the west
southwest, west northwest, east northeast then east southeast back to the Ridge,
111 kilometers.

The winds at launch were mellow out of the east so there were no safety
concerns. Pilots were ready to go early perhaps thinking that with the 20%
chance of rain there might be over development later and the task could be
stopped. Even though I was at the front of the staging line I got ready to go
after five or six pilots launched. There was no need to wait around.

I was pulled to the north and waved off in no lift. This was not good. I headed
cross wind to the north to get under some circling pilots but their lift was
really weak. I searched around and found more weak lift. The wind is only four
mph but I was drifting away from the lift park and only getting to 2,000' in 50
fpm lift. I decided to head back to the park and either land or find some lift.

Down to less than 1,000 just west of the park I found a bit of lift that enticed
other pilots to join me. It ever so slowly increased from 100 fpm to 400 fpm
averaging 200 fpm as Jamie and I and other pilots climbed to 4,800'.  It
was so much nicer than landing to start again.

The sky was full of dark cu's but the lift continued to be weak. Often 50+ fpm,
sometimes 200 fpm. The start cylinder was fifteen kilometers wide given the
forecast for higher winds earlier. But the winds were light, about five mph,
which boded well for our return.

I was only at 3,800' inside the start cylinder when the second start window
opened. Curt, Shapiro, Jochen and Zippy were at least 1,200' higher and took
that clock. Dustin, Paris, Jonny, Tulio and I as well as other pilots were
climbing waiting for the next clock. I had been near Dustin for most of the
flight so far and he was always below me as he searched all over the area for
better lift.

Just outside the start cylinder I found a nice thermal that brought other pilots
over to me. It averaged less than 100 fpm, but started better and took us all
the way to cloud base at just the right time. It started off at 300 fpm but was
much slower right below the cloud base altitude. We hung out at 5,000' in about
zero sink until it was time to go.

Dustin and I were at the same altitude and chose the same time to head back to
nick the start cylinder. He was just forty feet away (wing tip to wing tip). We
hit the edge of the start cylinder at two seconds after the start and then he
turned right toward me. I turned away from him but we were very close.

Dustin, Jonny, Paris and I were in the lead as we raced to the first turnpoint
which was only seven kilometers away. There was a large black cumulus cloud just
past the turnpoint and Dustin kept racing to get to it. Jonny turned at the
turnpoint to the west northwest heading for another cu over a sunlit field
another six kilometers away. Paris and I went with him followed by Julia and a
few other pilots.

We were racing hard and going down with Jonny just in front of me and Paris
below and a little behind. I could see the spot that he was aiming for and when
he hit it he almost looped the glider right smack dab in front of me. I swerved
and got trashed in the 700 fpm lift wrestling with the glider to keep it in the
core. Paris missed the thermal and had to go find another one nearby joined by
Julia and a few other pilots.

Jonny gained a couple of hundred feet on me as we climbed to 5,100' and headed
out. I followed after a few turns and we left everyone else behind. The next
thermal was 400+ fpm and so was the next one as I chased Jonny and watched the
others come in below and behind.

It was a long glide to the next thermal and I lost track of Jonny for a minute.
I had to work a 200 fpm and then a 400+ fpm thermal south of the course line and
south of the Caloosahatchee river to climb to 5,600' before heading northwest
toward the turnpoint. This slowed me down and I came in under Paris and Tulio in
a 500 fpm thermal just north of the river. Jonny was just ahead.

Paris took an off course glide to a point south of the turnpoint while I headed
directly toward it after climbing out to 5,600'. He and Tulio came in under me
at the turnpoint due to their off course maneuver. There was a black cu to the
west of the turnpoint and Jonny, Shapiro, and other pilots had taken refuge in
the lift there slowing themselves down. Paris and I just made the turnpoint and
headed to the next cu to the northeast.

The thermal was strong at 450+ fpm and I dropped Tulio and Paris when Paris
turned the wrong direction in the hunt and I got two turns on him. That put me
out in front of a chase crew with Jonny, Shapiro, and a few pilots out in front
of me showing me the meat of the lift. I was able to quickly get to the
east/west cloud street that was ten kilometers away and climb up to 5,800'.
Paris, Tulio and the followers came in under me just as I left.

I was right at cloud base and I went on best glide for the next twelve
kilometers to stay as high as possible and as close to the cloud as possible
without losing altitude. I was right in the center of the cloud street.

Paris got up and stayed on the right edge of the cloud street and got better
lift and was able to fly faster. He caught me at the next turnpoint coming in
just below me. The cloud street had ended before the next turnpoint and it
looked awfully blue for the next twenty five kilometers back to the park.

The lift just south of the turnpoint was only 100 fpm, but given the eight mph
head wind and the fact that we weren't high, I was happy to be in anything. The
lack of cu's ahead was very discouraging.

Back to 3,500' I was willing to run to the next thermal that was being marked by
Julia and a few other pilots. It was just the north side of Labelle on the north
side of the river. That thermal was 200+ fpm, so good for the weak looking
conditions.

Julia didn't like the weak lift and headed north toward the cu's way north of
the course line. I think Paris had landed by this point not finding lift over
Labelle. Swiss Nick and I stayed in the thermal until we got over 4,100'. We
headed out together but I drifted more to the north east and Nick went more
toward goal. I could see a pilot thermaling to the northeast and being blown
back fairly quickly. The few scattered cu's on the course line did not look
inviting to me.

I found lift over the intersection of highway 78 and 29 that averaged a little
less than 300 fpm to 4,000'. I could see pilots thermaling ahead so I went for
them when the lift petered out. Julia was landing at this point.

The pilots that were in a thermal ahead immediately left it as I headed toward
it and I could see two of them low racing to the north east. It turned out that
one of them was Dustin and he had received a radio call from Shapiro telling
Dustin than he and Jonny had good lift to the northeast.

We found a little less than 300 fpm back to 4,000' sixteen kilometers from goal.
The wind blew us back a bit but we were still in the air and climbing. There
were about ten pilots in the gaggle with Jonny and Shapiro high over us.

I went on glide with Dustin and another pilot crossing the river to the south
east and going toward a sunlit field under a black cu. The other lead pilot
turned back and the rest of the pilots behind me stopped for some weak lift.
Dustin kept pushing and pushing to the east as he saw a bird going up far ahead.
He got down to 1,000' before he started thermaling.

I had gone a different direction to get under some scattered wispies and found
200 fpm from 1,800' to Dustin's north. Nine kilometers from goal I climbed back
to 3,200'. One pilot just above me had gone on glide toward goal and it looked
like he didn't fall out of the sky so I went on glide leaving half a dozen
pilots thermaling behind. The L/D required to make goal was 9.5:1. I had a five
mph head wind. Dustin was low behind in the gaggle working his way back up.

I found bits of lift on the way toward goal to keep my L/D above 10. I made it
with 400' to spare. The other pilots followed me in soon after.

Curt and Zippy, who started early, had the fastest times and stole all the
arrival points. Even though Jonny beat Dustin to goal, he only gained twenty
points on him and is still seventy points behind. Zac moved up on Jonny in third
place. Shapiro, who started early, got stuck and had a slower time. Jochen, who
also started early, came in fourth place after being the third pilot into goal
Jonny was fourth and I was fifth.