SAFA Skysailor Magazine

48 SKY SAILOR June-July-August | WINTER 2025 His vario read a lazy 290m. A touch short of what he needed to cross the expanse of no-man’s land to the other side of the valley, a gap renowned for minimal lift and long walk-outs. He scratched for what seemed an eternity, combing the same area, hoping to gain enough height. Constantly flat turning, he climbed almost eight metres and pushed into the 10kt headwind. Squeezing the bar on, he laid back in the harness, conscious of the in- crease in speed as he slipped through the clean air, ‘How good is this?’, he thought. The sound of an engine broke the silence. His ears searched to locate what he couldn’t yet see. He spotted it – a yellow and red Coastal Patrol Cessna 172, search- ing the beaches up and down the coast for great white sharks, warning the local surf clubs should they come across one. ‘Christ, they come clos’, he thought. Their eyes fixed to the sea rather than the air, ‘Hope they can see me,’ he mumbled. Off the bar and lower than expected, so low, he could grab a handful of leaves off the forest canopy. He hugged the trees, +0.2 +0.5 -0.8 +0.2m. The woodland below relayed the sound of deer fearful of the descending shadow, scattering amongst the parched scrub as the terrain edged into the dry flatland bounding the forest. Coastal Jockey – not a bad rider!