SAFA Skysailor Magazine

12 SKY SAILOR May | June 2024 Day 3 – 22 January: Towards Bundarra The forecast was for windy conditions from midday as a high pressure system moved across the state. After a quick morning briefing at HQ, there was no time to waste to get to the west launch and in the air before the wind got too strong to take-off. Blue skies were moving in and the cloud line 10-15km east of Mt Borah was calling the pilots over. Conditions were ridge soarable, with light thermals to around 1500m. Most pilots launched within 45 minutes of arriving and formed spectacular gaggles of over 100 gliders. The combination of weak thermals plus wind meant the chance to catch the enticing clouds to the east was fading as they drifted further east and out of reach. Most pilots connected only a few times with weak, broken thermals at the beginning, before encountering the rising terrain of the main range. Best of the day was Harry Davies with 52km. He made a great tactical decision to ridge soar north along the Borah Range before chasing the closer aligned clouds near Split Rock Dam. He managed to get there but the better climbs didn’t eventuate, resulting in a tricky low level XC to the NE. Coralie Werbrouck was best female with 39km and third place overall. Best Fun Class pilot, Paul MacDonald, managed 29km and was 11th overall. On a more serious note, a Japanese pilot who decided to launch into the much too strong >30-40km/h gusty conditions after Manilla XC Camp 2024

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