Yaaay, a task!

We weren’t quite sure if we were going to be having a task today…lots of big cloud around but Godfrey said there was a bunch of blue holes forecasted to come through mid-day, so we went up the mountain for a 1:15 pm briefing. We gathered on the north launch and watched some wind techs flying around, not really getting very high, but a task was called anyways. A 46 km flight to the east, and then back to Manilla to land at the goal field at the Rivergums campground. It was an individual elapsed time start (no race start) which meant people could leave on the task whenever they wanted. Of course this meant a gigantic merry-go-round formed right at cloudbase over launch for the longest time, since nobody wanted to leave first and everyone wanted to chase somebody.

The wind switched while the window was open so a bunch of us reconvened on the west launch where I got off. By the time I got to cloudbase it was about 3 pm and a gaggle had already left on course, so I radioed to the USA/Canadian team that I was leaving, and left with about 6 other gliders. Of course as soon as we did that another huge gaggle formed behind us and chased us down, but that was OK as we needed the help finding lift.

There were big clouds all around, and a rain cell to the NW of launch, but to the SE it was OK (our direction of flight). Our gaggle flew across the valley to the ridge to the east of launch, where we found a nice thermal to cloudbase (2000 m, pretty low for around here!) and we were gone again. We eventually made our way over to the 1st TP (Halls Creek church) and after tagging it, had to turn around for Manilla. The flight up to this point had been pretty easy, but when we turned around it was a bit of a headwind for a couple of km or so, so the going was slow initially. But after we got out of the hills and back towards Manilla the headwind lessened.

Up ahead was Josh saying he had goal on glide at 8:1, and I was a few minutes behind. I found a nice thermal with our gaggle and I took it quite high, letting my glide to goal get to 5:1 before leaving, since I had seen some of the 8:1 pilots landing short of goal by about 1 km and I didn’t want that to happen to me. On the way to goal I passed a gaggle of late-day pilots headed for the TP and they were way behind me at that point (they were going the other way), so I didn’t worry about them.

In the end it was Harmony and me flying next to each other, both flying our Magic 4’s, and we were talking to each other and taking each other’s photos on the final glide. It was very boaty and we actually arrived at goal with about 2000’, so there was plenty of time for playing around over goal. My time into goal was 2:09. I guess I took that last climb too high, but given the day’s conditions I think it was a good idea and I wanted to actually make goal and not land short (many people were landing short, or not making the transitions between thermals successfully).

Will landed out on the way to the first TP, way in the boonies, and had about a 2 hour hike out to the main road. Keith landed about 6 km short of goal (he needed one more thermal). And Bill and Kari landed out also. Tom made it in about 1:55 or so, and the leader was about 1:42.

That gaggle that I passed on the way to goal (going the other way) ended up being most of the Swiss Team (they had waited over launch for a long time before leaving), and none of them made goal. A band of shade came through as we could see them in the distance desperately trying to make it to us at goal, and they all dirted it short, or arrived at goal after it was closed (6:30 pm). The day wasn’t really a racing day, it was more of a survival day, and staying with the gaggle day. Venturing out on your own didn’t work today, so I’m glad I stayed with a group the whole way around the course. It looks like about 45 people made goal. One pilot barely made goal by landing on the actual goal line on his final glide, but the FAI officials said it was OK since the line (strip of white tarp) was about 1 m wide and he landed in the middle of it!

There was one accident I witnessed at goal: a pilot was trying to lose lift over the goal field and was doing wingovers, when he slowed the glider down too much, stalled it, and then spun into the ground (he did about 3 rotations before hitting). The ambulance was there immediately (Godfrey had arranged for them to be waiting at goal for such an eventuality) and took care of him. It looked like a hip injury since he landed on his side quite hard.

It was quite satisfying to make goal on the first day of the Worlds; at the last Brazil Worlds I actually never made goal once. So already I’m ahead of myself compared to last time. And it was also very nice to land in a goal field right next to our campground, and not hundreds of km away!

Nicole