![](\"http:\/\/www.judithmole.net\/images\/210810.jpg\" "\\"High")
Day one was a practise day, although we didn’t get a task to fly. We were offered a lift up the hill at 12.30pm and 4pm and could explore the ridge as we chose. Since I know the area relatively well (at least the Ager valley), I didn’t feel the need to explore as much as others. So my plan for the day was to assess the conditions, have a nice little fly around, take some pics, admire the scenery and then land and relax before the stress of the comp. <\/p>\n
I had a leisurely approach to launching, so much so that Oscar asked me if I was actually going to fly. I got off fine, after a short interlude of a dust devil and wind from the north. I launched straight into a smooth thermal and headed west to the lake. Then I went east along the ridge. Conditions were surprisingly smooth. Even coming out of the thermals wasn’t rough at all. In fact it was all really like a good day in the UK. Others found it a bit rougher at inversion layer, but I have no complaints. If the rest of the week is this enjoyable, I’ll move to Ager permanently. After an hour of floating around (no turning necessary) I decided to land, but couldn’t get down. There was lift everywhere. I promised Emma an LZ beer, but had to delay that for 20 mins while I floated over the town in gentle lift. <\/p>\n
We all got our beers in the end and decided to go to the lake for a swim. It’s boiling here and we needed a cool off. So off to Corca to the turquoise lake to the west of take-off. When we got back to register I had a slight wardrobe malfunction… At registration we were a little stumped by our local address and Nicky advised us just to write down ‘Doc’s place’. Our landlord is a mild mannered Irish gentleman called Doc. Once we were all signed up, we needed to choose a name for our house team of Emma, Kirsty, Ruth and me. It seemed obvious really, so we’re called “Doc’s bollocks”. Not sure he’s got over the shock yet.<\/p>\n
The other news is that Kirsty and I are on the safety committee. They needed someone at the front and back of the field, obviously. The power has already gone to my head. If I bomb, I’m calling the task off for safety reasons!<\/p>\n