Another breezy day with weird clouds. We canned the flying pretty early on and worked and went to archery. Then back home to pack.

I am off to Piedrahita tomorrow morning for the British Open. It’s my first big comp and I have to admit, I am pretty nervous. I entered the comp because I have been working on my flying generally, to try to improve my XC skills. It seemed to make sense to have a goal to work towards to help me to do this in a more structured way. So last November I decided to wait and see where the venues for the Opens were and if one of them appealed to me I would see if I could get an entry. I am not doing the full series, only the Spanish round.

Spain is the obvious choice for a place to go and I have flown Piedrahita unsuccessfully in the past (it was April – the snow had only just cleared from take-off), so I thought it would be good to give it another go. I didn’t fancy the other rounds and for me this is just a way of dipping in my toes, to see if it’s for me.

I am under no illusion as to how well I will do. If I come in the top 75% I will be thrilled. Basically, my ambition is not to come last. So what do I hope to get out of it?

1) I want see if comps are for me. I went to the Chabre Open, but we only flew three tasks, each of which was cancelled after I was only part way round. I am an ambitious person, but not very competitive, so I’m not really sure if I will enjoy comps and if I have the killer instinct (probably not). However, I seemed to have a different attitude to flying at the comp last year and it will be interesting to see how I feel when in this one.

2) I want to fly abroad in the summer and see how that goes. Before France last year, I had never flown a paraglider abroad in summer. It all seemed a lot safer on a hang glider. However, it wasn’t so bad last year. I’ve been working towards this comp by flying in the Pyrenees and pre-Pyrenees in spring time, which was pretty rock’n’roll at times. I also did the SIV course to get more confidence on the wing,  so we’ll see how I cope in the rough stuff.

3) I’d like to land each day and feel that I learnt something. I have a de-brief buddy lined up and I hope to talk though each flight with Dave to talk about how I did, where I made mistakes, etc.

4) And most importantly, enjoy the food, friends and the sunshine!

Wish me luck…

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