http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2217308

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/15.3.2019/17:16

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

Mick Howard, Greg Dinauer, and I decided to fly around the Green Swamp, 103 km,
given the forecast for lighter winds out of the southwest. Larry Bunner had to
be back early for a dinner engagement so he would only fly with us to the first
two turnpoints.

This was the morning forecast:

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming south southeast around 5
mph in the morning.

Surface winds 7 - 6 mph, south southeast going slowly to southwest

HRRR 3, 1 PM:

Updraft velocity: 660 fpm

TOL: 5,600’

Wind TOUL: 3 mph, southwest

B/S: 10

The forecasts for the winds at TOL have been reduced substantially
compared with last night. While the winds are still west or southwest they are
in the 4 to 7 mph range to our west. So, a closed task around the Green Swamp
could be possible. There will be cu’s.

Larry launched first given his pressing dinner engagement, got towed to 3,000'
and headed out on his own. Mick, I, and Greg were next a little after 1 PM and
we all got together and headed south. There were sailplanes every where as they
are having their competition just to our south so we got to use them as thermal
markers.

I was leading out and had to dig out from 1,500' on the third thermal as Greg
and Mick joined me. Then we saw the sailplanes as we got up and two thermals
later we took 500 fpm to 4,900' in a gaggle with five sailplanes. This was high
enough to send us over to the southern section of the Green Swamp where there
were plenty of cu's and a few sailplanes to keep us high.

The lift was broken with no solid identifiable cores that lasted for
the entire climbs. The lift would average over 200 fpm, but vary between 400 and
100 fpm  as you circled around. The wind was 2 - 4 mph out of the
southwest. Mick and I had dropped Greg after getting the 3 km turnpoint just
south of a sailplane port. We joined up with Larry who was heading back from the
second turnpoint.

After climbing at 450 fpm to 4,900' 7 km from the second turnpoint at the
intersection of highway 98 and 471 I went on glide to the next cu's just on the
east side of the turnpoint. 1 km before I got to the turnpoint I found 150 fpm,
weak lift and broken and climbed back from 2,600' to 2,900'.

I made the mistake of leaving this lift (wasn't it just 450 fpm) and heading for
good looking cu's next to the turnpoint. I was so close. But they weren't
working for me.

Down to 1,100' AGL I was checking out landing options west of the turnpoint
while hanging out over a swamp in zero sink. I heard from Mick that he was
climbing at 100 fpm, but I could not get him to describe what the land looked
like below him. Finally I spotted him above to my north over the obvious white
(sandy) field and came in under him at 900' AGL. The lift was indeed there and
all three of us joined up with me on the bottom and climbed out, them much
higher as I left at 3,900' and they were well over 4,000'.

Heading northwest across the swamp I stopped for 100 fpm when they were well
ahead of me. Mick came back after not finding any thing. Greg struggled out to
our west.

The lift was ridiculously broken and weak but we had to get up in something. It
was already almost 4 PM and we were concerned about the day shutting down early
as shown in the forecast.

I headed north and found 300 fpm to 4,500' and lost Mick in the process. Greg
was northwest of us and climbing east of Dade City. I headed for him and found
lift at 1,500' AGL as he circled at 4,200'. 113 fpm, broken and just a pain to
fly in, but again I had to stay up and started pretty low. The wind was 8 mph
out of the south southwest and I drifted three kilometers getting back to 3,300'.

Greg was near the turnpoint at Ridge Manor when his Flytec 6030 stopped working.
He now had to rely on his backup, XCSoar on his phone. 8 km south of this
turnpoint I found 300 fpm and climbed to 5,200'. Mick came in underneath me as I
was climbing up and reporting my location and climb rate.

This was a big flat bottom cu, the first that we had seen all day. The lift was
actually pleasant to climb in. There were more of these ahead as the day got
later and things mellowed out a bit.

I headed for the similar looking cu north of the turnpoint but only found 100
fpm lift. But, I was patient because I had to be. There was a big chunk of swamp
land to the east that I had to cross. There were other cu's a little off to the
east that promised a bit of lift. The wind was now 5 mph out of the west
southwest. Mick had again come in under me at the cu north of the turnpoint.

We headed east and I found a little over 200 fpm just southwest of the lumber
yard, our last 3km turnpoint. That got me from 3,000' to 4,800' and the 6030 was
saying I just would make it into goal. The tail wind helped a lot. Mick was just
500' or so below.

With goal at Wilotree Park just a 11:1 glide away I went on glide with the
altitude at goal predicted to be over 1,000'.  I headed for the cu's on the
course line but I wasn't finding anything. The 6030 was still showing me making
goal but there was a 2.5 km wide swamp just before the goal field that I didn't
really want to go over low.

Down to 1,100' under a good looking cu and over a nice big landing field I found
nothing. I decided that I could go a little further east and land at Osborn
airfield just on the west side of the swamp if I needed to.

Down to 900' AGL and before I got to Osborn I found 140 fpm lift. I was able to
climb to 1,700' AGL drifting toward Wilotree and came in with plenty of extra
altitude as I got a 14:1 glide over the little swamp.

Mick came in just behind me. Greg had already made it in using his phone as his
vario. It is always nice to have a backup.