http://ozreport.com/ozweather.php

The results are up at the soaring spot: http://www.soaringspot.com/nswst2008/

The cirrus clouds were already there in the morning and the satellite showed a wide of band cirrus east/west half way across Australia. It looked like these clouds would be with us for the day at least. That would cut down on the solar radiation and it seemed to me that the forecasted lift from the RASP forecast would be too high. A weak day, with no cumulus clouds, light to moderate winds out of the southwest, lots of periods of shading. Might not even get a flight in.

The conditions stay the same, except that the light winds on launch out of the west, improve a bit by the 12:30 PM pilot briefing, so at least we might be able to ridge soar a bit. We on the task committee call a 66 km task out 44 km 22 km past Barraba, and back to Barraba air field. We don't think that we will get over 4,000'. Launch is 2,800' and the Barraba air field is 1,670'.

There are lots of paragliders around and after the launch window opens four of them are slowly getting up. This is enough to get me going and I take off third, an hour before the last start window. I don't know why everyone is waiting around, other than the fact that this is the first task, and pilots usually are slow to get going on the first day. I find ridge lift and thermals and climb to 5,300' right away.

I like getting off a bit early and getting high so that I can have a commanding view of the competition. I can check out Scott, Jonny and Dave Seib to see how they are doing after they launch. I was able to stay up above everyone as I got so high quickly and even during the down cycles I can maintain my position.

With everyone starting so slowly, we take the last start gate at 2:45 PM at 4,300'. I'm with Dave Seib and Jonny Durand Jr. Scott Barrett is just below us. Pilots are already landing in the bomb out zone. A half dozen pilots that left earlier after they launched right after me, have already landed just outside the minimum distance circle at 5 km. I had earlier decided not to leave with them as none of the top pilots were in that group and they weren't getting up.

With Jonny in the lead, and Dave and I spread out we glide down the ridge. Just past its end and coming to a little plateau north of it I find the lift. Dave joins me and Jonny has to come back underneath us. It is weak and we are only able to climb back up to 3,800'. The four of us are now flying together. Everyone else around us is either landing or about to.

We work a little bit of lift a bit north and then we go on glide into the forest getting down to 2,200', 700' AGL. Jonny has found a strong thermal and Scott is in it with him. Dave and I come in low and find even better lift below them. We scream up at 600 fpm and soon go up through them to 5,000'. It is alternately sunny and shady on the ground below us. The only clouds are cirrus clouds.

We go on a long glide. Jonny is out in front again. Scott is off to the right. I go left feeling something up wind which turns into nothing. I see Jonny hook one and Dave and Scott join him. I come in under them, but just off the deck. I go out over the trees to get under them but I don't find it. I'm at 500' AGL and start working really light lift over trees, but with a bail out upwind.

I work low for the next half hour, in lift that averages 30 fpm. Finally I get to 1,800' AGL and head for another area of likely lift. I find 300+ fpm to almost 5,000' just south east of Barraba. Meanwhile Scott, Jonny and Dave have moved ahead but Scott and Dave don't find much lift near or past Barraba and don't get up. Jonny works weak lift just past Barraba and gets up enough to keep going.

I find good lift past Baraaba, and get back to 4,600' but there is nothing after that as the road rises up high going north and I find a friendly field to land in as the ground up a head quickly gets higher than me.

Jonny is able to get the turnpoint 8 km past where I land. When he turns around the wind is too strong to make much headway.

Almost two thirds of the field didn't get out of the start circle, which is set as the minimum distance. Indeed it was a day of weak lift, but it could be found.