There were no storms last night, but the sky was overcast and when it cleared, it was full of cumulus. They assured us it was unlikely to storm and not too windy, so we set off up the hill. On the bus, we came up with a new variation on categories, and managed to name 48 out of 50 US states.

On arriving at the top, it was clagged in. We couldn’t see ahead at all, and one free flyer took off in cloud and had to spiral to get back down to land. So we all waited. Out of the sun it was really cold and we all got out our extra layers and got damp sitting around. At 12 o’clock they called a zig zag task with a landing field in another village where free food was laid on next to the goal. We could occasionally see pretty big clouds towering in most directions when the clagg temporarily lifted. The task was duly delayed while we waited for conditions to improve. We were told it would be at least an hour, so Cris took a group of us on a guided nature tour, with the first stop looking at bear prints. There was some discussion about whether they were deer, dog, teddy or baby bear prints, but further on we found the real thing. Then we went on to a dew hole and found sunbathing frogs and a grass snake. Finally, we searched under stones and found loads of scorpions.

Back up at launch Cris introduced us to his newly invented game of ‘How low will you go?’, a concept he is keen to pitch to Radio Four. The wind had been picking up and it was a little breezy on launch. Next to us on the ridge was a big black cloud, so at 3.30pm, they decided to call a revised task. The start was changed to a turnpoint further to the west and the window opened at 4pm.

I still wasn’t that convinced of the conditions. Cloud base was low, and people were popping in and out of the murk very shortly after taking off and it was windy and still some big clouds around. Watching some of the R10s launch in the wind was scary, they come up so fast and so twitchy, that at least some of the big boys were dragged or needed multiple attempts at launching. I waited until 10 minutes before the race start, by which time the wind had lulled and lots of people had cleared off, and launched easily. I got as high as cloudbase permitted and turned with the mob for the start.

What a glide! It was lifty all the way along. Mal Grace chose a great line in the valley and I followed him, we managed to cruise along while others were having to thermal on the way. We flew over and topped up in lift on the ridge and then went on a long lifty glide at the turn point 17km away.

Turning back, Malcolm Davies and I chose a good line again and got to Kobarid without problem. By this time there was sun in the Kobarid valley, but the valley behind, where the next turn point was, was completely shaded with black cloud. We struggled to find a good climb on the ridge where we were and people started to radio in about possible rain and cunimbs. David flew over to me and shouted that he thought that the task might be cancelled so we started racing to the next turn point. We got to the ridge above Kobarid which was in sun, but David and a bunch of others got the thermal out, but I couldn’t find it and was then seduced by another climb further out in the valley. I did a classic bit of dithering, until Matt Church came past me and I decided to follow him instead.

We glided into the valley of death (it’s 71% covered in trees), and I hit the ridge just a little lower than Matt. He soared up, while I started a long slide down the ridge. I hate flying without landing options, so had one eye firmly on the only really good landing area in the valley which I made after a nails-in-your-palms glide. The task never was cancelled.

It wasn’t a happy landing field (except Mal, Andy and me), with lots of good guys having landed there after missing turn point four and then a glide into goal. Turned out later that the lead gaggle had made a bad decision and landed significantly short. The not so racy racers have therefore managed to make up some ground.

We got a lift to Claudi’s hotel at the goal and were provided with some excellent goulash and beer. The pilot parties have started, so updating might be slightly more difficult. And an update on Ian, the injured pilot… he had a stable compression fracture, is in a brace and out of hospital today.

See photos of today (no. 1).
See photos of today (no. 2).

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