Day 3 Report

Club Class Nationals 2022

After a couple tricky days in a row, the fleet was primed and ready for some classic strong Moriarty soaring. The forecasts, from all that I could tell, looked phenomenal with 8-12kts to 20,000ft in the prime of the day. As the contestants gridded, everyone was excited to tackle the 507km nominal task. However, when the sniffers floundered low and even took a couple of relights the mood shifted to slightly anxious. Struggling low over these mountains is not anyone’s favorite thing to do. The prestart flying was soft and low (most pilots struggling to get above 3,000ft AGL) and halfway through the launch CD Bif Huss opted to switch to task B which was the same task only half an hour shorter. Towards the end of the launch conditions improved and people were able to reach the cozy competition max altitude of 17,500ft before their starts. Many people had a decent first half of leg one, but it cycled pretty hard over the high ground. It very quickly changed from snatching a solid 8-10kt and zipping right up to the top to accepting a 3kt thermal just to stay flying, then right back to 8+. From the ground it was fun to get to watch everyone and see which lines the pilots took and see who was high and who was low. It added a certain crew involvement that this sport has never seen. The the constant comments of “NO don’t go there” and “ohnononono you need a climb” and “wow they’re cruising!!” really make the supporters on the ground feel more involved. If able, I implore anyone interested in competition soaring to watch this race. All said, there were 7 land outs with the furthest retrieve being 3hrs drive each way.  A quick look at today’s weather calls for similar conditions as yesterday’s forecast so we’ll see how well it pans out. These pilots could use an easy day.

David McMaster