Skyport Sat. 1-19

[oj]

Fairly large PG crew out today, I counted about 16 pilots at launch. As usual, Ron and Bob H. went first and headed West. Only Ron came back though, Bob continued West and ended up at the training hill. Meanwhile at launch, we were acknowledging Irene's B-Day with a truly horrible rendition of Happy Birthday. No threat to the American Idol contestants in this crew.

I went mid pack and took the house thermal to 3500, just in time to catch Ron on his journey East. Bo, Irene, and Doug G. were doing well at the Thermal Factory and decided to head down range also. It seemed like there was a slight inversion in the mid 3's but if you were at one of the more predictable trigger points, like Montecito Pk., you could get another 1000 or so. Ron and I flew together downrange, pimping on the lead three. If they were high, we would give chase. At the times they were low we would just hang back and wait for some improvement. Yes, it was shameless pimping, and we're proud of it.

About a mile from the Powerline crossing conditions took a turn for the worse. Gusty winds and sharp edges convinced the leaders to turn around so Ron and I, following from a couple of bumps back, turned with them. This was the first time I've flown close-quarters with Doug G. and I quickly realized why he did so well at the Woodrat comp. He has the ability to wring out every bit of lift from each thermal, giving the others a good look at the underside of his harness as he continues to go up. It's a rude and annoying habit I think he picked up from Dean.

The trip back was much tougher than the Eastbound leg. The SW wind had picked up and we were getting as little as 2-3 mph approaching each ridge. A couple of times I was going up and backwards in thermals while I kept the glider aimed SW. We lost Ron along the way with him taking the glide to the Polo fields. The other three had a simultaneous flush just East of Montecito Pk. I managed to get to Montecito Pk. but knew from a previous flight that I'd never make the jump back to the Thermal Factory so I topped out and flew to the beach, landing just West of the Biltmore.

Vario Log: 840 fpm up, 800 dn, max alt.4620, 2 hrs. airtime, 17.75 miles O&B.