http://wre500.blogspot.com/

It started off as a record day with the over running in place and strong winds,
and nice cloud streets setting up with a south southeast (170 degree) wind.
After going down early yesterday I was set to go a little later, but the day was
obviously much better much earlier. BJ Herring in his ATOS was launched first
into a wicked cross wind and found lift and a high cloud base not long after 10
AM. Mike Barber was next, then Pete Lehmann. I launched around 10:50 a half hour
later than the previous day and found much better lift and a higher cloud base
at 3,700'. I was much further east and that would later make it much easier to
get around the Laredo airspace, which with the south southeast wind wouldn't be
too difficult to begin with.

After a difficult day of retrieves yesterday only Alex from the Brazilians was
ready to go today. He would launch quite a bit later after me.

I found lift averaging 100 to 200 fpm, sometimes less. I often had to take what
I could get to stay up and not risk landing behind locked gates.  I could
hear the three pilots ahead of me doing well, so that was encouraging. Alex's
radio didn't work.

I got to the first crossing highway, San Ignacio highway, which was a relief
but, of course, I was down to 1,000' AGL, so I had to work what was there and
drift with the 21 mph winds to the north northwest. I was way east of the normal
course line, which felt great.

There were plenty of streets and even though I was flying a Northwing Freedom
179, a single surface glider, which does not go fast, I had to jump streets to
stay with the lift. I was down to 900' after one of the jumps and found 600 to
700 fpm for the first strong lift of the day. I was out in the middle of
nowhere, of course, but that got me over Interstate 35 and up highway 83.

Staying east of highway 83, which is our normal course line, I jumped from cu to
cu as the streets weren't continuous, but they were there. I was able to stay
above 2,500' AGL and climb to 6,600' just past Catarina at around 100 miles out.
I was making over 45 km/hour.

Heading northwest taking the shortcut toward LA Pryor I flew over to a cloud
street and worked it but could get over 5,500'. I went on glide but didn't find
much under the next two cu's in the street. I dove to the west to get under a
good looking cloud but it didn't work either and I had to land east of Crystal
City, 199.7 kilometers out. The record I was trying for (mine) is 330
kilometers.

Mike and BJ were making record setting speeds for the first two hours. They were
going well over 40 mph. But things slowed up in the hill country. BJ landed 270
miles out. Mike and Pete were about 200 miles out. Alex who started way behind
and never had radio contact landed at 250 miles out and BJ's driver picked him
up.

Tomorrow, who knows?