We had to return the Artik 2 to Niviuk this morning, so headed to La Cellera. Lots of people were meeting to go to Puig d’Afrou
and there was room for us, so we headed up too. The forecast was east and once the first person launched you could tell that although it was on launch it was east in the air.

Launching conditions got progressively more difficult as the wind seemed on and then you pulled the wing up and it would whip round to the east. I (and lots of others) needed several attempts to get off. I was starting to think that it was proably too far off and getting breezier, but people were getting high, so I launched. I was flustered after the launch attempts and it was bouncy in the air. I thermalled up, but hit the edge of the thermal and my glider started to twist – enough for me to put my hands up to block it, although it wasn’t necessary. The thermal was drifting NE, which is the boonies. I stuck it out for about 5 minutes and then decided that I was actually being a sheep today. If I had been on my own I would not have launched, so why had I? The drift was strong and the choice was to put up with the rough stuff to get high to be able to fly along the valley or to just abandon the lift and fly to the landing field. I did the latter.

You don’t have to be full-on desperate to be in the air all the time and I just didn’t want to be flying. I crawled out into the valley, at one point thinking I wouldn’t make it to the official landing field. I did, just.

Time for a proper day off, so we’re going walking with my parents tomorrow at Cabrera.

Geoff writes: I didn’t think it was particularly rough in the air, but there was a fair amount of wind, which seemed to be increasing. I launched, climbed 1300′, and went on a glide – and promptly hit really, really big sink – so much so that far from jumping across the reservoir across the valley to the next ridge – an easy glide usually – I was beginning to wonder about landing on the road next to the reservoir! But then I got a bit more lift and did make it out into the main valley where the landing fields are. I decided to abandon the XC – the drift was too strong, and the valley gets narrower towards Olot, and I thought the wind might be stronger; so I decided to land. I headed to the official landing field, but after a while thought I wouldn’t make it, so turned downwind and headed for one I’ve landed my hang glider in previously. Of course, having decided to land, there was nothing but lift, and it took me a long time to actually land.

But for the wind, today would have been excellent. As it was, strong wind and strong thermals are not a good combination.

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