Here.

As a pilot in competition I am always interested in whether the meet director
will send us into unsafe conditions. I listen to the weather briefer and make my
own  determination of whether the day is safe for flying, or marginal, or
unsafe. I then carefully watch the meet director to see how he responds to the
forecast and under what conditions he will cancel the day or not.

On the first day there where many indications that it would not be a taskable
day. The primary dangerous condition was the forecast for a strong northeast
wind which would be over the back and cause significant rotor and turbulence
away from the hillside and in the landing area which is quite a ways up the
hillside. Also the low cloudbase, below launch at first. And the high relative
humidity, which fortold clouds and perhaps rain. In addition, the soarcast was
for non soaring conditions.

After two postponements the meet director canceled the day but opened the launch
for free flying. Fifteen to twenty pilots flew. I have a few reports of what
happened after that.

The launch conditions were light with an incoming breeze predominantly from the
left. The light conditions didn't help Monique who on the first step had her
left wing (the eastern side) come up. She stopped, but with the narrow ramp, she
was pushed off it to the right and went in upside down into the trees. She
wasn't hurt but the glider is being repaired now.

Franco and Nuccia mentioned the landings that they witnessed with the pilots
being turned 180 degrees just before touching down. Perhaps this was due to the
fact that the winds at the LZ were ninety degrees cross (and it is a narrow
east/west LZ).

Joe Bostik did not like the conditions at all. He took off and climbed up (most
pilots flew immediately down) and went to cloud base going to the left into the
wind and up against a hill side facing into the wind. He had taken a thermal
that drifted away (south) from the hillside and then found zero sink/lift going
around the hillside to the east.

When he came into land it was quite turbulent, as the other pilots had
experienced, the wind was cross strong from the hill side which is at the edge
of the LZ. He stayed on the base tube the whole way (for control) and landed on
his belly.

My take away is to be careful. If the weather briefer is calling for strong
(greater than 15 km/h) winds from the north or northeast, I say don't fly.
Really only fly in light and variable conditions. Even if the meet director
calls a task.