Practice Day

Saturday's practice day was the biggest one I've ever attended - I think we had almost all of the 110 or so pilots at the meet. The weather has been rainy and horrible all spring until the day before yestarday. Somehow it miraculously cleared up in the nick of time! We had nice light northerly conditions for a fishbowl practice task around the Applegate Valley, ending up at my favorite alternate LZ, Longsword Vineyard.

JD launched first, and went right up from launch, and I launched right after him. thermals were working well and people were getting up to 5500 or so. I was in a great position to start when the race began, and headed right to the first turnpoint at Rabies Ridge, but I arrived a bit low, and I was soon sinking towards the valley floor. Somehow I bumbled into a nice low save and got myself super high again for what I thought would be an easy direct line for the next turnpoint at Burnt Ridge, I left with Colorado pilot Bill Lhotta, and he took a lot better line along the shoulder of the ridge. I knew my line was gonna leave me too low about halfway along, but I was too stubborn to change my tack, just hoping I might squeak my way through what I knew would be sinky leeside conditions. I ended up a hundred meters from the turnpoint, sinking hard right above the tree covered slope - I would have had to tunnel through the mountain for that last 100 meters. I retreated to the valley floor hoping for a low save to try again, but all I could manage was a few minutes in the rough leeside thermals before just squeaking over to the primary LZ. I had lots of company there so I didn't feel like too much of a loser. But there were loads of pilots still in the air and a huge number made goal.

After sticking it out for what he said felt like an hour and a half, JD found himself in the LZ, after about 35 minutes, soon enough for a shuttle back up to relaunch. On his second flight he stuck it out for another thirty minute thermalsession, and this time he cleverly took a shortcut dirrectly to goal at the vineyard!

I waited a while for a ride back up, and by the time I got up there it was getting late, so my plan was to follow JD down to where the wine was already flowing freely. But I realized on the ride up that I had left my boots at the LZ. That wasn't going to keep me from the wine though - I tied my slippers on with some elastic and launched towards the vineyard. About halfway there I found myself in the most bountiful and smooth convergence lift, to arrive high above the vineyard - I hope I find some nice convergence like that later on during a task! I spiralled down for a mice slipper landing and Reaper was there with a beer for me, which I washed down with a free glass of sparkling Chardonnay. So this is what goal feels like! It's pretty nice no matter what course you take to get there.