25 Oktober 2014

Day 1: 61km around 2 turnpoints

The first day of the Canungra Classic is over. A task southwest to Hillview, then northwest to Rathdowney with goal in Laravale was set. Quite ambitious, looking at the conditions. The NW wind picked up quite a bit, so we had quite a lot of cross, on the last leg even a full headwind.
No clouds for most of the day, with a low thermal height of rarely more than 1200m msl (which of course can be much less over ground), and rough, choppy lift didn´t make it easy. It felt like yoyo most of the day. Getting up in lift, being blown off track, heading back against the wind, getting lower, and the same over and over and over. I was superglad that I could stay with the leading gaggle, my swarm intelligence.
When I was heading out on final, for some moments I was leading ahead of Jonny, but of course he punched faster against the headwind than me. Not enough ballast ;) Still Im stoked to have landed 2nd in goal today, with Blenky and Jonas coming in after Jonny. Only four made it, I rarely ever started a comp up there :) Lucky I was only second, so I don´t have to wear the notorious "Red Shorts" - Im sure Davo found them somewhere and Jonny will have to put them on. The day winners of the past 20 years or so had to wear them ;)))
Very cute and curious cows watched me packing up my glider in the goal field.
The forecast for tomorrow looks pretty similar to today, I just hope that the wind doesn´t pick up more. Quite a few guys didn´t even get out of the start radius. Lisa from NZ flew to the Rathdowney turnpoint in a kingpost glider, she did great!

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