With the wind east at 15 knots tending toward east north east Scott Barrett and I headed south from RedHead to Catherine Hill Bay and its 100 foot launch site at the beach (see the link above to Google Maps). This is the smallest top landing site in the Newcastle area.

Scott had two C4's to test (unlike almost all the gliders that he tests, these will need to go back to the factory to get their sails adjusted). I got ready first and took off in the stiff breeze but in one turn found myself half way down the hill. I decided that I had better stick my wing tip right next to the brush on the hillside and do it right now because in one more pass I would be heading for the beach otherwise.

I put the tip were it belonged and ever so slowly made it back up the hill side with the wind coming from the left. After I got over the top, Scott launched, pushed out and got up on the upwind side, turned and went down wind to the defunct coal loader (check out the jetty on Google).

I got just a little higher than I had been, turned in the Airborne Fun 190 and followed Scott. Unfortunately, I arrived at the surf life saver club (see Google) at three foot over the beach. I didn't want to push it so I landed.

Packed up and went back to the launch as Scott continued making adjustments, top landing the C4. This time I was going to make sure I got a good climb right after launch so I let the bar out and turned left, getting up well. After a bunch of turns and and getting up and down it looked like I had another chance and headed down wind.

This time I came to the surf life saver club at twenty feet over the beach, put the tip over the road going to the coal loader and worked my way up the ridge line and over the jetty after a few passes.

Played around on the cliffs next to the defunct coal loading area. Scott brought another glider over and then indicated that we should go over the back. This is what it looked like over the back looking at Moonee beach (which has no road access, see Google).

I jumped over the back and got up on the hillsides that you see in the picture above. Scott took these shots with his camera phone.

It was easy to get up with a nice safe beach below. And then it was time to head over the back again. Scott and I could communicate only with hand signals not having radios and me with my phone packed away. His plan was to take me downwind to the Budgewoi Peninsula (see Google). I would not be able to go back up wind to get back to the car (but he could perhaps). I didn't know his plan at the time. I was just following his hand signals.

We jumped over the back again after getting reasonably high, but I didn't get high at the next stop at Snapper Point. This is what it looks like downwind from where I was before landing at Snapper:

No beaches below me (other than a very small one) and none down wind for a while. It made me very nervous to be on these unfamiliar hill sides (Scott has done this route a bunch) with no good looking land areas (other than the bushes on the hill sides) and waves crashing against the low cliffs down by the water.

I landed on a hill side (anything to stay away from the water) and was able to hike out with the gear to the view point at Snapper Point Road. Scott flew upwind in the C4 back to the launch at Catherine Hill Bay, landed on top, packed up and came and retrieved me.

A great adventure along the coast.