Day 4 (Task 2)
Yesterdays score put Jonny ahead of me by 50 or so points… Little reward to be gained for setting off first as there are no leading bonus or departure points in this comp!!

Today’s weather was up in the air for a while with the forecast of an incoming front set to change the winds from moderate northerly to southerly and increase significantly. A task was set From Mt. Emu north westerly launch. First 40k to the north along the ridges to Gundowring north then 20k south to running creek before returning to turnpoint 1 again then goal at Bullioh for 108km total distance. Conditions on launch were gusty and switching occasionally from the north. Launch remained closed to competitors for a while until wind dummy, and International Man of Mystery, Steve (Austin Powers/Windy) Gale reported back real time conditions, having free flown, to get the party started…
There was a ten minute slot in which anyone outside the top 18 could launch if they chose to (open window) before the ordered launch commenced. Because of the changeable conditions only four people got away. I took off immediately behind Oli with Jonny behind me and we climbed out to 8000ft in a rough but strong thermal. The climbs were not as frequent as the day before and so most just tried to maintain height before the start. At the edge of the start with only a minute and a half to go I meandered into an 8up and was immediately joined by around 20 others and the clock started as we climbed out to 10 000ft precisely (as that is the Aussie airspace limit). I set off on course and within the first five km a few of the pack turned back to apparently take the second start.. A smart move as it turned out… Still with the pack in tow we reached the end of the range with 10k to go to the first turnpoint and took a final, but slow, climb before gliding out and back. One or two braver guys stayed in the valley for a more direct track to the second turnpoint. Back along the low ridges we made good progress to easily take the turnpoint and head back to the north again. This is where the guys who took the valley route got their pay off… Along the range I glided along gradually losing more and more height waiting for the thermal that would get me to the next turnpoint. After ten or fifteen minutes It came along but not before I watched the valley guys soar above my head on the way to goal and the second start pilots catch me up! I took the turnpoint at 6000ft and headed straight for goal without stopping on the ridges again. I could see the other pilots ahead stopping in weakies to top up. Goal was 30k away but with a strong-ish (15kph) tailwind, even the terrible glides were enough to put me within range of the leading guys thermal. I joined the bottom of their lift just as they left on glide to goal. With an 11:1 glide to goal I set off cautiously as there was another ridge blocking my path, however, this proved to be no problem as the air slowly rose above the hill and allowed me to fast glide the remaining 4km beating one guy ahead of me in (small recompense)!
I was about twelfth in today but with so many taking the second start I don’t anticipate a good score.