Towering CU and a Bet

After a great dinner at the Ramada Inn last night, everyone returned today for a knock down fight with cu climbing to 9,000 feet and lift that we don’t get often in the southeast.  At the morning pilots meeting Fernando Silva and I made a bet regarding what class was going to be the fastest.  The 18 Meter Class was slightly slower yesterday than the top guns of the 15 Meter Class and a bottle of wine was wagered. 

We had to takeoff on runway 24 again today due to forecast winds that did not materialize until after the launch was complete.  Sometimes it’s best not to roll the dice on the first day of the contest.  A 300k Assigned Task was called for both the 15 and 18 Meter Classes.  This was met with smiles from some pilots but others might have been a little worried.  At the front of grid meeting John Godfrey asked if we were going to send up some sniffers.  Well I looked around, the
18 Meter Class was in front of the 15 Meter Class and there were cu climbing above 4,000 feet.  So, I looked right at John and said, no, but I guess that is why we gave the 15 Meter Class pink task sheets!

The launch started at 12:30 and soon the 18 Meter Class was away.  John Murray covered the 194 mile task at a very respectable 75.13 mph.  Unfortunately, the 15 Meter Class lead by Fernando Silva covered their 168 mile task at 78.75 mph.  More impressive was the top 4 pilots in 15 Meter beat all of the 18 Meter guys.  Sports Class may have a new Sarah Arnold and at least it remains in the family.  After winning the Region 5 North contest, Jason Arnold is repeating today winning the day after towing his share of the entire field.  His winning speed of 69.86 mph (64.97 handicapped) covered 182 miles which was more than the winner of the 15 Meter Class.  Chris Carter and Lyn Forbes finished the day by putting on a no host cocktail party complete with watermelon margaritas and very heavy appetizers.  A keg of Stella was provided by Cordele Racing LLC, thanks Mitch!  Tomorrow looks like a little more of a technical day so maybe my 18 Meter boys can even up the tally!

Cheers,
Rich