Still lots of hard work, still low cloud base with very weak thermals and still a VERY VERY steep learning curve for me. I thought I would be placed in a strong position for this competition based on my experiences flying the pre-world competition last year but the weather is very different this year and I feel like I am starting all over again. About the only things that are the same are the navigation and the contest organisers. The weather and flying styles are all new this year and this together with no practice during the practice week (again due to the weather) is a bit of a disadvantage.
I am trying very hard not to get frustrated with this (but ask my crew, they would tell you otherwise -- they are being more than patient with me) but it is tough here. Really tough. We are competing against the best pilots in the world who largely have 4000 - 5000 hours each, in these weak European conditions. Most have flown 1 or 2 world comps or European comps under their belt also. I have 1100 hours mostly in strong Australian conditions and this is my first Women's competition in Europe. The flying standard and conditions here feel harder than when I flew in the World Junior Championships in 1999.
Today was another one of those short tasks, about 200km where we only had a short weather window to fly in. Standard class launched last on the grid so we had a later start than we would have liked.
Trotts and I started together and flew the first leg togther however near the 2nd leg we spread out to find a climb under a overdeveloped cloud. Trotts stopped to explore and work 2 knots at one end and I went to the other end to look for something better where I could see gliders leaving at cloud base. Lisa told me her climb had increased to 4 knots but I was some distance away now and couldn't connect to anything under my end 1-2 km away.
I choose not to go back but to keep pressing ahead where there still appeared to be clouds working. Bad decision and I ended up at 500m QNH grovelling with Jenny Bradley in her LS1d. We had no choice except to park and wait for it all to improve as toward the turnpoint looked worse and was all forest and unlandable.
By this time Trotts had passed over the top of me and was in a position to make a more comfortable yet still slow glide into and out of the turn. We were then separated for the rest of the flight and I never managed to make up that time/distance in the remaining 85km left of the task. Trotts beat me home by 15mins even though we started together.
I am still amazed that one decision, which was not such a wrong decision either, could cost me so much. These conditions and tasking are very unforgiving! 500m altitude in a climb made or broke the day for each of us. Wow. At home, a really bad decision results in something like a 15min penalty. Here a small and not so bad decision results in the same penalty. It just does not appear to be in proportion. All part of the learning curve I guess.
Shortly after recovering from the depths of 500m, the entire German standard class team (4 pilots) joined me. I knew they started later than I did so all I could do was to stay with them for the rest of the flight and guarantee that I would make it home.
I had a really nice 4-5kt climb centred (a luxury here) when they joined me at the same height and all proceeded to mess up my nice thermal and loose the core. Bugger. There was little I could do against 4 gliders. Eventually they began to outglide and catch different thermal bubbles (they must have had some water ballast left) and got between 500-1000 feet above me. It was hard to keep up.
Then when I was at 800m QNH they all left to glide out into a 15-120km blue hole when they would have been 1100m! I thought this was absolutely crazy and knew that if I followed them I would end up in a paddock half way across the hole. So I turned 90deg to track to go to the cloud to the east of tract to climb under a better looking cu. I climbed up to cloud base at 1200m in 3-4kts before attempting to cross the hole.
Meanwhile the Germans had stopped in about 2kts half way through the hole and I joined them at the same altitude before we all headed off on track again. Next we were 35km from home and heading for Boxberg power station for a climb for final glide.
Our gaggle consisted of gliders from all 3 classes and was about 10 in number. I passed through some very good air and pulled up in it, the Germans saw this. I decided it was too good a climb to pass up and threw a turn into what felt like one of the best thermals I have had here -- 5-6kts and smooth all the way around. I thought the Germans would have seen this and turned back to join me but no they kept going through the next hole before the power station.
They were going to arrive at the power station very low. I decided that my climb was as good as the power station and worth staying in as it was centred etc. I quickly climbed up to final glide height at 1400m QNH with a 4-5kt ring setting.
As I headed off on track I saw that the Germans had stopped in some crap half way to the power station and I took great satisfaction in passing through their climb 300ft above them on my final glide. They all then followed me but as I was the first to leave, I was the first to get home.
So the best part of my flight was actually beating the German team home on final glide when they were outgliding me earlier (they still beat me for the day though).
The weather at that point was better and shows me that even though I have had a hard and disappointing start to the comp, with better weather forecast, I still have a chance to gain some points and improve my overall placing. Don't give up hope yet, just pray for better weather when we have long, hot, high, strong days (well I guess we all pray for that all the time...).