Aaaaargh! Can you recall the first word repeatedly uttered by Hugh Grant’s character in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral? Well that’s what I felt like saying today.
Yesterday it was uncertain whether there would be any decent flying weather, but the Met Man had indicated that he thought there may be a usable slot. When we awoke, there was 8/8ths low cloud, scudding across the sky and Steve said ‘You won’t be flying today’. Never-the-less, I checked out the competition notice board which stated that we needed to grid before briefing.
Unusually at briefing, the organisers set two tasks an A and a B task for all the competitors. At last they had set some reasonably sized tasks in the region of 260km for all classes. This would give me the opportunity to get ahead of the others in the Club Class and use my handicap to my advantage.
Out on the grid the weather was now beginning to look good with organised cumulus forming and as we thought we were about to launch at 12:00, the Competition Director requested a briefing for the Team Captains at the front of the grid – the task had been changed. Task C was now reduced by 100km and the turning points to the South had been removed. We now had a task of 151.4km through start point Bravo – Hed – Odensvi – Lindesberg – Morskoga – Arboga.
I was close to the front of the grid and the first of the Brits to launch. I soon soared away with no problems, but both Ayala and Liz were struggling, with Liz almost requiring a relight. Brian Spreckley had given us a remote update on the weather as we had an occluded front just to the North of us and two fronts to the South of us, and the Met report had indicated that these would move and cut off the soarable weather. However, Brian had indicated that he thought that the gap in the weather would remain.
As I was climbing before the start was open, the upper Cirrus cloud moved further towards us from the South and was beginning to obscure the sun from the ground. As the start line opened, I was at cloud base and I could see a good thermal on track, so I decided to go through the start – this was to be a big mistake. I was out on my own and initially finding thermals of 3 – 3.5kts. I went through the first turning point and was just through the second when Ayala and Liz started, followed by the rest of the pack 35 minutes after I’d started. The weather was clearly improving rather than getting worse and after initially struggling at the beginning of the third leg, the latter part of the leg was much better, even though it was alongside the three large lakes. I could hear the rest of the pack catching up with me with better thermals.
I managed to stay ahead of the rest of the gaggles and finish before them, but it was a poor day for me personally. It had taken me 2 hours 9 minutes to complete the task and I came last on the day. Liz completed the task in 1 hour 46 minutes to come second and Ayala completed in the same time and came first for the day.
In the Standard Class, Fran and Gill did much better than their previous flying day, completing their task (173km Start Delta – Stora – Gunnilbo – Lisjo – Iresjon- Arboga) in 1 hour 37 minutes and 1 hour 40 minutes respectively, coming second and fourth for the day.
Competition is all about being consistently good. The mantra is ‘stay airborne and get home’ and preferably you do this in a fast time. Well for me today, even though I’d managed to get around the task and home again, it was no where near as fast as all of the others in the Club Class. I’d started 35 minutes earlier than anyone else, and unforeseen by anyone, the weather became better and better as the day progressed and I completely missed the best part of the day.
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In the evening, 11 of us went out for a meal in the Chinese restaurant in Arboga. Whilst there, a local Swedish woman asked if we were from the gliding competition. When we replied we were, she wanted to know who was winning, when we stated that we had a day winner and someone who came second that day, she became really excited and asked for Ayala’s autograph!
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