The 200k I should have done on Friday
A gorgeous Bank Holiday Monday and also, much to everyone’s surprise, a good forecast for a soaring day – what more could you want. Steve Foster kindly offered to run the day from a No.1 perspective and Simon Adlard also helped out with some annual checks which unfortunately for him took a little longer than planned (I think there was a change of retrieve winch in here somewhere) and delayed him getting airborne in his Ventus. 688, PZ, JEP, 494, 445, 288, and the Turner/Reilly Ka6 all flew and had a nice time of it. Cloud base was only 2k2 above site before lunch but the thermals were strong and local soaring was good with hangliders and paragliders a plenty too. An hour later cloud base was up to 3k and I made my second attempt to leave site and attempt the task from last Friday’s task week of Willersley, Evesham, Leominster, Mynd (200km). Second attempt, because the first one had a Friday déjà vu feeling to it where I ended up very quickly in a field 22k away! I have to say halfway down to Hay I was thinking about just doing the 1st TP and home as the CU was scraggy and sky a little confused. However, climbs were easier to find than Friday so I pressed on and then connected with this massive convergence which I almost passed by as I wasn’t convinced it went near enough to TP2. 70kms later and almost no turns I was at Evesham (amazing bit of luck) and wondering why I had had no Flarm contacts with other people rushing up and down it. Thought about trying to pick it up again to go home but after turning the TP and looking back for it, strangely it seemed to have vanished! Way home required a lot more effort with some holes to cross and weak climbs but eventually near Leominster I made it to CB again, now 5k+, which allowed me a glide home (yay). 445, 671 and 494 all went to Talgarth and then either home or east a bit then home, well almost. Thanks to Tim for offering to crew and congratulations to Mark for winning Task week 🙂
Darce.