We catch a thermal off the ridge and almost break away into the flatlands. In my enthusiasm I blow our opportunity. We head back onto the ridge, and for the next hour play a repetitive game; push out, themal up, get blown back onto the ridge, creeping ever northwards, making the crossing more difficult.
After pushing firmly back south along the ridge, we eventually strike out again. A thermal takes us parallel to the ridge and finally we are at base, over the plains. For a few kilometers we are able to stay above 1200m. We work light thermals to keep high, but now drifting northeast. A blue hole, and we are down to about 800m. I angle further south to a large black cloud. Gentle lift under the closest edge, it gets stronger. We don’t turn. Three kilometers and a steady climb later, we leave the far side of the cloud, just below base. We’ve made up some time, and managed to hold onto our crosswind track. I know it’s going to be touch and go. I can see the valley where goal is, and getting there in this wind is going to be difficult. The sky is now blue in front of us. Lutz and I are both search out trigger points, looking for gliders, birds, leaves, anything… we are getting low.
Off to our northwest is a valley. Its lying in the sun, it has a nice area of dark bush and a hill at the down wind end. I’m convinced it will work. Guaranteed. We get there very low. Naturally, it doesn’t work. Our only hope is to scratch down wind – maybe we can last another km or two?? A couple of weak thermals help us back up to 200m agl, but the northeasterly drift is phenomenal. We desperately need to head due west. I calculate that our best option is just to glide west until we are on the ground. Our final glide takes us over a farm. There are animals running around, so we need to land away from them. I decide on a suitable paddock, and idly watch the running animals, trying to decide what they are.
Hey!! – It’s our chance!! I turn straight at the farm… I’ve just realized how deceptive the landscape is. The farm is lying is a shallow depression. The running animals are ostriches. It’s the perfect trigger. This time it works. Drifting away to the northeast again, but this time more slowly, and we are making some good height. We push forward again, way to low, but I’m determined to progress towards goal.
Low. Again. Now we are several kilometers north of goal, and face an impossible push into wind. Lutz and I fly over a group of dams. It’s a good trigger, and might get us to the nearest road. I am despondent. After all the hard work, to get with in 7 km’s of goal, and to get blown too far north. We climb slowly in the thermal, drifting further north. I check the GPS to see just how close we are. Confusion… its still points due west to goal. Huh??
Excitement!!! Hey Lutz! We can make it!! I’ve realized my error. The GPS calculates our heading based on our track, not on which way we face. We have been facing west, but tracking northwest. Goal is not where I thought it was… It’s within reach!! The glide computer tells me that we will make it – maybe… I’m not taking any chances on getting blown further north, and we head off. Trimmers up, and we race towards goal. It’s going to be touch and go. The glide computer updates us with each area of lift and sink that we race though. Slowly we are losing out, our nonexistent margin becomes a deficit. We press on. A glider just to our front is maintaining. We will too.
GOAL LINE… YEEHAA… we can see it, we are almost there. I assess the power wires beside the line. Hmmm… we are not going to clear those. Beep beep… yes!! Maintaining, sinking, climbing again… its getting a bit bumpy. A radio message warns of turbulence over goal. We approach the line with maybe 30m agl. I concentrate on making sure that we cross over the line without drifting sideways. We are just about there… We are lined up to cross. Are we over yet?
WHAM!!! Collapse, correction! Again, we are getting bounced around wildly. I hear some urgent radio message, but am too busy keeping the glider above us. Lutz is very quiet. We are going sideways. Gliders around us are having a rough time. I turn into wind. We are going backwards. Fast! It’s rough, but I start to relax! My glider is behaving well. If we can ride out the gusts, we’ll be fine. It slowly settles down. I want to land, before anything else comes through.
I push into wind, across the power lines, and we land. We disconnect the glider, and I race over to the goal marshals. ‘Did we make it?’ They smile and say ‘YES, we got you!!’ I watch as a couple of other gliders, not to fortunate, battle with the whirly. One opts to land just short of goal. The other is sucked skywards, then spirals down. He pulls out, only to be sucked up again. Blown far to the north, he has no chance of making goal now. I head back to Lutz. As we pack up the MAXI (SKY Paragliders) we laugh at ourselves for doubting its handling in such conditions. Its had the performance to win us the comp (tandem class) and the stability to get us down in one piece.
