32.881678,-111.854982,Francisco Grande, Casa Grande, Arizona,
USA

Thursday, September 22nd, the
fifth day of the Santa
Cruz Flats Race was a good day for me and I stayed with others near the end,
but not at first.

I'm very happy to be with others in gaggles in the start cylinder. I'm relying
on how I see other pilots doing in whatever lift that there is to help me get as
high as possible. So at the start of each day I'm near the top of the gaggle
when the start window opens. I'm in great position as a large number of us head
out at 1:45, the third start time. Kraig and Robin made the error of starting at
1:15 and we would catch them.

We hit a strong thermal four kilometers into the task that got us the highest so
far of the competition and I was cold at the top of the thermal at 10,000'. This
is not good as the most pressing thing on my mind when I'm cold is to get low to
get warm. You'll notice that this is not the best idea for a hang glider pilot.

Also Jeff Dustin and I knew that Joe Bostik had gone back for the next clock as
we were such a short distance into the entry start cylinder and so near the
fourth start time as we got to the top of the thermal. The idea would be to go
back, get the next start time, come back to this strong thermal and get high
again. Because I was cold I didn't want to do that again. Because I was with
everyone else I didn't want to leave my fellow thermal markers. Because Dustin
and Jeff decided to continue I did. Because I felt if I also went back that
might encourage others to do so also and then there would be no advantage but
just wasted time.

But it would have been better to go back if everyone else stayed the course,
then I would have had the thermals markers out in front of me. I would have had
a fifteen minute advantage. I would have Jeff and Dustin on the radio with their
reports in front of me.

Instead I was again out in front of a crowd of pilots who were more than happy
to let me go and see what I could find. It was a long glide with no lift until I
got low just south of Coolidge. I had to find lift then after I didn't find it
over the hills on the way (and found big sink to their east). Everyone behind me
could now use me as a marker and see if they could find better lift near by or
go to me if not. The lift was quite weak.

Joe, in the meantime, found the strong lift over the hills where I did not find
it and it was easy for him to catch up with us and come in high.

We all worked our way through the weak area, got the next turnpoint and headed
south for the Newman Range. I deviated from the main group of pilots heading due
south to try to shade into some small hills at the end of the range, but again
the gaggle was better at finding lift and they got higher while I had to find
the lift on my own after Larry headed over to them. I didn't get too far behind,
but they were able to mke better time getting to the bigger hills further south,
while I had to climb the faces (and take greater risks). I was behind Jeff,
Dustin, and Larry as I climbed up over the highest peak.

But now with these guys in front I had some help with the conditions ahead.
After getting the turnpoint to the south of the peak and getting high again at
the peak I was able to glide right to the slowly climbing gaggle that most
pilots were in. I made sure that I got the correct distance to the gaggle from
Jeff. This put me in a much better position having made up many kilometers on
the leaders.

I followed Glen out whenever he left the gaggle and that allowed me to stay with
the fastest guys and w=have five in front of me searching for the best core as
we came to the Casa Grande hills. I was able to find some of the best lift and
then drift into even stronger lift gaining even more altitude on other pilots
from below and quickly rising to near the top.

As soon as Robin or Kraig to my north (and in weaker lift) turned to go on final
I left the lift and pulled in to fifty mph with plenty of altitude above my best
glide line. I didn't pull in enough (to 60 mph) as about three quarters of the
way on the nineteen kilometers to goal Dustin and then Jeff caught me. But the
differences in points at this point were small.

Again, going out alone in front, not such a good idea. Flying with others and
watching them, much better.