SAFA Skysailor Magazine

35 May | June 2024 SKY SAILOR to around 1200m, 1800m later in the day. The 80.7km task consisted of three legs. The first was the longest, with the optimised line heading over the river, which meant pilots had to decide whether to take the terrain to the right or left of the river, or the direct line. At the first TP, some high clouds slowed things down, but nice clouds along the second and third legs sped things back up, with good lift lines along the high terrain. ESS was a few kilometres past goal at the airport, so pilots approached goal over land rather than the river, where good landings are scarce. A great day saw 101 pilots in goal with only two minutes separating the top 50. Top 3 Overall Top 3 Women 1. Yassen Savov Galen Kirkpatrick 2. Stephan Morgenthaler Meryl Delferriere 3. Honorin Hamard Alexia Fischer Sunday, 10 March 2024 – Task 4 Challenging launch conditions caused the start time to be pushed back twice. The wind was often from the back, with occasional periods of no wind or a light crosswind. Pilots started taking off 1.5 hours before the start to avoid getting stuck. A 92.6km task took pilots away from launch for an entry start, then back across launch to the high terrain to the right, then back to launch, and towards town, followed by a final leg to goal at Trevo Assarai. Overcast skies and weak lift had pilots struggling. Most flew conservatively and stayed together. Many gave up the fight around TP 3, with five pilots hanging on to break the 50km mark before landing. Top 3 Overall Top 3 Women 1. Sebastian Ospina Meryl Delferriere 2. Julien Wirtz Alexia Fischer 3. Honorin Hamard Constance Mettetal Wednesday, 13 March 2024 – Task 5 Yesterday, pilots hoped to complete a 70km task, but under thick cloud cover and low base many opted to wait on launch for better conditions. When it began to rain right before the start, the task was stopped. Today, pilots arrived to find good and sunny conditions and a 75.6km task with start about 5km in front of launch. After that followed a TP to the NE, then a very long leg across to a TP well past the crater, on the other side of the river. These long legs forced pilots to pick their line. Follow the high terrain? Take the direct line across the crater? Follow the clouds? After tagging TP 2, the task went back south across the river for another long leg. Winner Manuel Quintanilla got low on both long legs, but kept pushing an aggressive line for the win. 110 pilots made goal, and the top 71 were within about two minutes of each other – a tight race at the end. Top 3 Overall Top 3 Women 1. Manuel Quintanilla Alexia Fischer 2. Honorin Hamard Galen Kirkpatrick 3. Luc Armant Meryl Delferriere Thursday, 14 March 2024 – Task 6 Sunny skies, but tricky launch conditions, with a westerly crosswind. The 91.2km task allowed extra time for pilots to launch and get to the start, given the tough launch conditions. Task 8, Photo: Courtesy of PWC