There was heavy rain at 4:30am with thunder and lightning (the writer can confirm). With the weather predicted the briefing has been called for 11:00am, which allowed another lie in. Some of the junior glider pilots decided to play Met Roulette, gambling a scrubbed day, with a K8 glider ending up rigged in the briefing room….
A minimum distance task of 83km was set. Dan got to the grid at 12pm,
we were then able to show Adelaide (Dans girlfriend) the patience required for gliding, and the joy of grid squatting!
Both the open classes were scrubbed at 2pm, but the Juniors were held on the grid, first launch was finally announced at 3:15pm, with most of the grid wondering whether the Treasurer was behind the decision!
Dan was on the second row of the grid, which meant a quick getaway, and Dan went fairly quickly, carefully choosing a couple of other pilots to fly with.
The first leg went fairly well, and seemed simple (from the ground) Although Dan later reported he had been flying in sea air in the start sector, this was never a good sign. ‘ I was watching it die as I flew out to the first turn point, I knew it was highly unlikely I was getting back’. However, on the second leg, as the task sent them over a wooded area and Highgrove, Dan chose a course south of track, but still ended up down to 900ft at one point, saving himself by scratching away.
He eventually landed in a field just 2k short of the finish ring, he said later he probably could have scraped into the ring, but could see a safe field so took the safer option and decided against trying.
‘I’m the closest loser’, he was heard to say, when it became evident that only two gliders made it back to Lasham! There were eight gliders in one field alone, and one fairly unhappy farmer.
Dan finished in an impressive 4th place, now in 10th place overall. – Sally Hender
