SAFA Skysailor Magazine

7 November | December 2023 SKY SAILOR A full day of hiking, flying and fun David Wainwright was ‘King of the Hill’, fastest on the first ascent with 35 minutes. Lawrie Jeavons was second with 37 minutes. Shortly after, the next wave of athletes arrived and started taking off into moderate winds. From midday, thermals began to produce the goods on the west-facing ridge and pilots were faced with a new problem – the never-ending lift band which made descending even above the lake quite difficult. Many lower airtime pilots choose to enjoy the airtime and cooler temps of altitude, before landing under big ears for another tough hike in the extreme September heat. In total, 87 flights were completed in the six-hour window, making for a total of 37,410 vertical metres climbed, 60 litres of water were consumed (just from the organisers, not including what athletes brought with them), 120 bottles of Powerade were drunk, 10 ice buckets were finished and lots of sweat and cramps made the event a cracking success. There were satisfied smiles all around at the presentation ceremony. Many thanks to our sponsors The competition was sponsored by 777 Gliders, with compression bags, concertina bags and T-shirt prizes, XCmag with eight £25 gift vouchers for their online store, and Powerade, who supplied each competitor with two bottles of sports drinks to be consumed during the gruelling hikes. A new sponsor for this year was Australian owned sportswear brand ‘Hike and Fly Life’, who donated four merino shirts, perfect for H&F adventures. Join us for the next Bullseye!