The flight and the task.



Those who are first shall be last and shall be eliminated. It's a cruel world,
but it's a fair world. Only Primoz survives among the top three finishers
yesterday after today's race. And he who crashed on the first day got first on
the second.



The forecast called for 10 knot east winds turning more east southeast around 5
PM. The top of the lift and cloud base was predicted to be 6,200' and the lift
was forecasted at 600 fpm falling to 500 fpm at 5 PM. Looked like a good day.



The wind was a concern, but it looked like there would be real clouds so that
would help us get upwind. We called at 95 km (paraglider) task out and return,
upwind to the south east to the grass strip on highway 27 at Gore, just north of
Davenport, and back to Quest.



There was talk later of a tougher task, a triangle, but that fell through in
discussions at the staging line with intimations from Mikey Barber that the sea
breeze would come through from the east and shut it down. I don't know why I
listen to Mikey and his sea breeze talk. He never seems to get it right.



I took off first a few minutes after 1 PM hoping to get way way upwind and to
run down highway 27. It was an hour and fifteen minutes before the start window
opened at 2:15. The others took off shortly therefore, but no one joined me 7
miles out (2 miles upwind of the start circle) near 27 over Claremont. I just
stayed at cloud base for the next hour.



With no one joining me I should have realized that this strategy was not going
to work. I was going to be on my own and that is no way to fly fast, especially
upwind. Speaking of wind, the wind was already southeast as I headed over
Claremont between the lakes.



I didn't see any other pilots but they were gaggling up inside the start circle
to the south along the course line nine kilometers away from where I was
circling. David Guiducci and another pilot were circling just outside the
circle. This came back and bit David when he didn't come back inside the start
circle enough and missed the start time.



The pilots were all bunched up and high when the start window opened and they
were off to the races. I was way to their east and never saw them.



The gaggle flew together and made the course in an hour and forty five minutes
flying under cloud streets. Four pilots made it back to the goal line within one
second of each other, but David was eliminated as he didn't get his start time.



Gugga won the day after crashing on the first day. Nene was second and Paris was
third. They came in with just enough space between each other side to side.
Almost every one made it back to Quest. I came back much later having flown the
task on my own. There was a convergence line pretty much from Wallaby to
Clermont and it was easy just to stay under it on the way home.



The race is on for tomorrow with the ten remaining pilots. It looks like a day
to try to set the distance record so Bo and I will be trying for it.



I have called a tentative task for the remaining ten - Avon Park and back. 218
km. A ten mph head wind going down there. Noon start window.