Cruise Ship Tag

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Cruise Ship Tag

Postby NMERider » Wed Mar 25, 2015 11:29 pm

At the end of Wednesday's flight I tried to tag the cruise ship anchored a mile offshore
07 Cruise Ship.jpg
Cruise ship anchored off the end of the pier
from where we land by Fess Parker.
08 Offshore.jpg
The over-water glide back
I did a quick edit from my video footage and made this 2-minute short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz9UvIEFdlI
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Re: Cruise Ship Tag

Postby sd » Thu Mar 26, 2015 3:42 am

Nice flight JD. Looks like you had to work for it. Perhaps a bit gun shy about crossing Ramero Canyon, and then taking the low route below Power Line Ridge, but finally connecting to real altitude at Noon Peak (almost always go to Noon when you can reach it because the altitude usually gets better). West Divide wasn't giving it up. East Divide was, but out of the east. Almost 8K at White Ledge to start a quick downwind leg back to SB. Downwind all the way back, but a bit of a fizzle at the end of the day before your scenic tour out past the harbor.

I posted your Google Earth track log at:
http://paraglide.net/log/amigo/jonathan_dietch/2015_03-25_jd_sb_to_whiteledge_to_harbor.kmz
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Re: Cruise Ship Tag

Postby NMERider » Thu Mar 26, 2015 9:09 am

Thanks sd. It was a long day for me coming from Long Beach and having to get up at 5AM to hit the road by 6AM and then solid traffic to WLA to pick up Tavis a half hour late. Sylmar HG pilot, Mario was going to pool with us but needed a site intro from Willie and elected to head straight there which took some pressure off.

On the way I kept looking at the weather page and watched how fast the severe OTB winds at La Cumbre and Montecito were backing off while the barometric pressure was rising like a Vandenberg launch. In spite of many forecast models showing climbs to 7-8K locally and higher downrange, I just wasn't seeing the temperature spread happening. But the trip up from LB is a big commitment and traffic is arduous so we marched on. Max called to say the meetup time was postponed to 1030 which was fine with us since it looked to be good later in the day.

Max's truck got loaded with HGs from Max, Willie, Hammer, Me, Mario plus Tavis' PG. We met up with Matt and one other PG at Parma plus Jay HG then headed to Skyport in two vehicles. It was blowing in very nicely when we arrived around 1145. Tavis, Matt and the other PG were off and showing it was soarable but far from epic as forecast but no surprise considering the high pressure and lack of measurably good lapse rate. Hammer and Willie were off by 1230. I had talked w/ Hammer about racing to Painted Cave to Whiteledge and back. Although I suggested to him I might try the reverse route based on the prospect of strong West winds forecast possibly preventing a return from Whiteledge late in the PM.

I met Matt for the first time and he's heading back to Portland (?) in a week. Matt is the pilot who went low OTB and followed the dirt roads and trails and landed in Bakersfield or thereabouts. He pointing it his route from recollection on a topo map. If I was a healthier physical specimen I'd love to fly PG in the same manner as sd, Turner, et al. But that's life.

It takes me a long time to set up my gear and Hammer already tagged Painted Cave and was on his way back before I walked up to the ramp. I hucked off around 1245 and had slow climbs in the house thermal then TF to 4K. I neglected to inform Hammer I was blowing off PC for my first leg and heading East. Well that didn't go so well. I did okay at Montecito with Tavis and Matt coring up rapidly from below me. Did I mention just how bad the local barometric pressure was? Worse than mid-July. That's how bad. Thermals were very skinny and ratty with cascading edges that sent you over the falls. I debriefed Mario on our drives home to explain that he was perfectly sane in his description of the flying.

The good news about the high pressure is that it made the air fairly clear in spite of the particulate matter clouding the view just a bit. BTW - I heard reports from many pilots of the massive lenticular clouds that had set up on Tuesday all the way to Beverly Hills and the wall of wind that came and knocked down utility poles and killed power or made lights flicker. Nobody I know took any photos of these lenticulars. Bummer.

And back to the flight. Tavis and Matt headed out front before angling over to Castle Ridge while I tried to get higher on the back ridge where Willie was a grand over me and looking golden. So me, Tavis and Matt meet at Castle Ridge but my T2C 144 is not compatible with PGs near terrain in ratty thermals. No sooner did I locate once of the usual lift spots then the PGs beelined over. I had to cut out before we mid-aired and went to a lesser spot that worked a little while the PGs got up nicely and headed East.

I went back to the same spot that worked for them but this time it was pinching off and I was left holding my schwanz. I eventually got down to 2600 and made my way toward the beach to bail out. Hammer was already far overhead and coordinating all the action. We were all on the same frequency and in spite of the distracting chatter (yes I was bitchy--live with it) it was very useful to know what was happening with everyone and helped immensely with my planning and optimism.

Tavis and Matt got down near the powerlines where Matt was reporting a 27kph headwind. They then glided out to Padaro to enjoy warm beach and ocean swimming in their boxers soon to be joined by Willie and Max. Hammer kindly offered to land at the beach and retrieve. Retirement really suits this gentleman! But I've jumped a bit forward.

So I grovelling between Romero and West Romero at 2600 and catch a pair of good but short climbs that give me an easy glide back to Monecito while all the other above described action unfolds. This time I get up nicely on Montecito and spy Hammer doing well on the back ridge after trouncing me on our supposed lap race. He peels off for the beach before I've really even gotten underway but I am now underway from the mid-4s and more than an hour into my flight at ten minutes till two. This time I'm feeling more confident that the massive switch day air has finally gotten organized and it has.

Although not a routine flight to Whiteledge the air and triggers were fairly predictable with the exceptions of an East push of up to 12mph and very strong thermal block. Finding lift was now a matter of noting when the differential between GPS ground speed and true airspeed was diminishing. It would go from 10-12mph headwind down to 0-2mph headwind as I'd hit the Western wall of the lift column. This was a pretty consistent pattern all the way and it was the reverse coming back with thermal draw rather than thermal block heading West.

So I get to Whiteledge around 6K at 3:30PM. It's right in a wind shear and I'm getting tossed pretty good. The higher I climb the worse the shearing turbulence gets. At 7600 indicated barometric altitude I have the beach on a 12.4:1 glide some 17 miles. At first I was tempted to push into Ojai as I wasn't having trouble penetrating but the bashing I'd been taking plus all the traffic from the long drive was taking its toll and I opted for comfort and warmth over glory. What can I same but I'm really a couch potato and a pussy.

The glide back was pretty routine and by the time I hit the back of the antennae I was thrashed and decided not to complete the reverse course I had planned with hammer. Instead I had my eyes on that cruise ship a mile offshore. I glided as clean a line as I could muster and crossed the 101 at 1500 and headed straight for the Love Boat. By the time I saw 0.94 miles to Each Beach LA on my vario it was a 6:1 glide from 1000'. No sooner did I turn around that my sink alarm sounded off and my glide angle dropped to 8:1. Lots of fun over water in a harness you cannot get out of if you land in the drink. The procedure is to climb into the control bar and release the caribiner BEFORE you hit the water.

No matter as my glide improved and I lined up a long approach past the grill as Tavis had me on visual walking back from the WC. Surface winds were much stronger than aloft and it queered my plan to land next to my car. I came up 1/8th mile short and had a long schlep on my tired bones after 3hrs, 48min. The drive back was uneventful with the exception that Cafe Luna in Summerland was closed due to a rent dispute. Luckily we stumbled into Reyes Market in Carpenteria and the carnitas tacos were pretty awesome: http://www.yelp.com/biz/reyes-market-ca ... ?osq=tacos

Finally got home around 9PM

Some frame stills here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/207639079275349/
Attachments
2015-03-25 SB Whiteledge Beach GE-1.jpg
Wednesday track
131006-20.jpg
Tavis and Matt by Castle Ridge
04 Whiteledge 1.jpg
Whiteledge view West
05 Whiteledge 2.jpg
Whiteledge view SE
09 Gulls.jpg
Gulls sweeping a clear path
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Re: Cruise Ship Tag

Postby gracecab » Fri Mar 27, 2015 10:12 am

Nice write up JD -

Ditto on the carnitas at Reyes! I'm jonesing to fly to Padaro for my first mtn to beach glide on my Buzz Z4...if not just for the Cali Burgers and tap.

I hardly think anyone could accuse you of being a schlep for bailing when you were tired... esp. after some of these outrageously long XC flights you put out. Gives me something to shoot for in 10 years! :lol:
Chris Ballmer aka gracecab
Ventura, CA
UP Kantega XC2 / Gin Verso
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Re: Cruise Ship Tag

Postby gracecab » Fri Mar 27, 2015 3:04 pm

BTW:

I think flying near a Passenger Ship loaded with people, is possibly illegal, in terms of Homeland Security. I know you can't just pull your dinghy near the boat...there is security around those things... for obvious reasons....

but don't quote me.
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UP Kantega XC2 / Gin Verso
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