The soarcast was a bit unusual. It's relatively rare to have cu's
with a north wind.

HRRR 3, 1 PM

TOL - 5,200'

CB - 4,900'

Updraft velocity - 680 fpm

B/S ratio - 9.3

Surface winds - N 6 mph

2000' winds - N 7 mph

4000' winds - N 8 mph

Cloud cover - 50%

A 10 percent chance of showers after 5pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
North northwest wind around 5 mph.

NWS hourly shows 3 mph north wind until 3 PM, 8 mph NE at 5 PM. HRRR 3 shows B/S
ratio at 5 PM at 4.2 with light winds at 4,000' but strong winds below (sea
breeze starting between 4 PM and 5 PM - from the east, suddenly no cu's).

The hourly NWS surface wind forecasts shows the winds going from west northwest
in the morning to north around noon to north northeast in the afternoon until
the sea breeze comes in from the east and the winds are east northeast strong.
In addition we have a cold front coming right over us in the afternoon. The
slight chance of rain comes from all the instability in the atmosphere.

We were down at the southwest side of the north south runway. I was off first
and as I was pulled up I noticed right away that the ground for miles around was
mostly shaded. I had told Tim that I would hang on until we hit something and we
didn't until about 3,400' under a dark cu.

I pinned off and circled at 40 fpm to 3,600'. Not a great start to the day.

Near the cloud base I headed west to the next good looking dark cu and found
nothing. I was soon scooting back to Wilotree Park to land and tow again. I'd
been in the air for almost twenty minutes I was now down to 700' AGL. Only Mick
had launched and John was taking his own sweet time.

I had tracked the shading and the sunlit areas and went to the edge of the shade
just north of the LZ to see if I could find anything under the cu's there before
landing. The lift was there and I climbed up at 125 fpm to 1,700' before losing
it.

Heading back west I again found lift at less than 900'a bit further west on the
west side of highway 33 and then climbed at 180 fpm to 3,500'. John Simon was
now just below along with Tiago. Mick Howard was at 600' turning over Osborn
airfield a few kilometers to our west.

John and I found almost 200 fpm just a little south of Wilotree and got up to
4,100' with Tiago below us as we headed south toward more cu's. The sky had
opened up just before John launched so the cu's were now spaced out.

It was a 9 kilometer glide before John found something to my east and we were
down to 1,600'. I started climbing at 85 fpm, while John had gone two kilometers
further south and found better lift.

At first I did not want to leave my 85 fpm lift as John reported 350 fpm but
finally left at almost 1,900'. Of course, when I got to where I thought John was
I couldn't find whatever it was he was getting up in.

After circling around in minus 50 fpm at 1,500' I went a bit east to over
highway 33 at 900' and circled in zero lift for seven minutes waiting and hoping
to find better lift, while staying up to be able to take advantage of it. John
had headed south of the Seminole Glider Port as I struggled.

Finally I found 113 fpm right where I had been hanging out and climbed to
2,500'. When the lift quit as I tracked it in a 6 mph north northeast wind I
headed south toward more good looking cu's. I found 85 fpm but felt that there
would be better lift under a dark full formed cu 3 kilometers further south.

John had landed as I believe Tiago had also further north. I hadn't heard from
Mick. There was a big blue hole further south of highway 474 so wanted to get
high under this good looking cu first.

Unfortunately there was no lift what so ever under it and I landed in a big
field 2 kilometers west of highway 33 and the intersection with 474.

It was great making a few low saves. Not an outstanding day for sure, but one
that was quite fun. The day got much darker as the cu's filled the sky after I
landed and rain threatened from the west. Then the eastern sea breeze kicked in
and mostly cleared out the cu's.