They Were Here and Then They Werent
Today was a little bit of a slow news day at the meeting this morning. Non one really made a misstep, even the Zoom calls with the weatherman and the scorer went off like clockwork. The pilots quieted down when Kerry got on the mike, it was like we were getting with the program. We did have a birthday today, NR advanced to an age older than me now. However, all the folks said he looks a lot younger than me.
Richard briefed the weather and gave us hope for several good days in a row. Everyone perked up hearing that news. Tom the scorer did say that several pilots received speed penalties during the start. I always wondered why we get a penalty for going too fast in a race.
The 18-meter pilots were first on the grid today, so we had less time to talk on the sidelines. John the CD launched 4 sacrificial lambs (otherwise known as sniffers). Only 75% stayed aloft and the fleet was sent into the air. At first it was a little weak and I was happy to go up in a 2 knot thermal. Then 98 joined me and it was like old home week. Seems funny not to be in the same glider as Pete since we have been doing 20-meter competition for the past 3 years. Once I sold my single seater, all I’ve flown is the bus Class or Open Class. A single-seater is fun and the new AS-33Es is a joy to fly.
The gate for 18-meter was opened at 1320 and the race was on. We went from Start D northeast to Muleshoe, south to Andrews, northwest to Caprock and then Finish. The first leg was pretty good with well defined cu but no big streets like we had yesterday. Since this was a 4 hour Turn Area Task that started at 1320, the earliest we would be back was 1720. Bad news was the day started dying around 1700. The minimum distance speed was in the low 70’s, so most of us treated this as an assigned task for the first turnpoints to see how the day was going to turn out. Going into Andrews, the leg got weak and blue. There were 2 paths you could choose and unfortunately, I chose the wrong one. It did put me closer to the cloud field for the leg to the northwest, so in my mind, it was a push. Today I wanted to fly with a few friends, but I ended up pretty much alone for the day. The Andrews leg I did see a lot of gliders low and searching for a good climb. Going to Caprock the direct route did not have a good cloud field associated with it. Going a little further west seemed like a good route and there were many ships that made that choice. The final glide was nice, even though it normally is a little soft coming from Caprock.
The 15-meter ships had a task that flew inside of the 18-meter task. They left from Start B, south to Morton, then continued south to Seminole, northwest to Caprock and then Finish. I spoke to Terry Stroud, and he said the first leg was good but when you got to the turnpoint it was mainly blue. Seems like Seminole decided to emulate Morton and shooed the clouds away just in time for the gliders to enter the zone. Those that did go into the blue were treated to some good climbs and avoided the weaker leg to Caprock. The final glide to home was just like the 18-meter boys, no stress and relatively easy.
I must apologize to the Club Class boys and girls. I have been referring to them as the Sports Class. This is the first time I have been to a Club Class contest, so please accept my lack of knowledge of what classes are actually flying here. I’ll try to do better in the future. I volunteered Greg Shugg to write about his day winning flight.
Club Class had a three-hour task with three turn points, all with a 15 mile turn area. The first leg was 70.5 miles to Morton. It was getting past the time I wanted to start at 2:15. Finally, the stars aligned and Sylvia, Colin, and I crossed the line at 2:39. The course was downwind and went without any problems to the center of Morton. The run to Sylvester was into the wind and ran into a big blue hole. I got lucky and had a whisp turn into a great climb. It got me to the turnpoint with plenty of height. My Oudie N suction cup let loose and tumbled onto my lap and hit the shut-off button, so I lost my Delta time to finish. I had to depend on my mentors Pete and Rich words of wisdom. Stay high and connected to the clouds, run the wind lines, and take it as far as the run will let you. So, I went to the back of the third turn point and got to run home with the big boys. Thanks Pete and Rich for the great climb.
After the ships were put away, and the scores sent in, Josh (who is an official member of Team 98) cooked hot dogs and brats served with the finest Walmart macaroni salad and potato salad. Eric Mozer stopped by to socialize with the group. He is such a great guy and puts up with Pete and I at his hangar, Perry West, during the Region 5 North contest. The social hour was a lot of fun and this group is always a blast to be with.
We seem to have a party going on at the Team 98 house and my friends are giving me grief for working. So, upon their insistence, please look up the scores on the SSA website. I will tell you, Seam Murphy won in 18-meter handily with Greg Shugg winning Club Class. Tim Taylor won 15-meter by .15 mph with the top three pilots only separated by 1.3mph. Great job folks! Tomorrow we will continue announcing the top three pilots in each class. Until then, fly safely, stay high and come home every time.
Goodnight,
Rich Owen
ZO