Saturday, July 24, 2010
Day 6 Final Task 6
The 2010 Chelan USA PWC is finished. It was an amazing week of racing.... I really don't know how it could have been any better, and I saw nothing but smiling faces at the awards celebration this evening. The top 2 overall spots went to US Pilots, while the next 2 places went to top Japanese pilots. I finished 5th overall and, even though I had a disappointing last day, I flew quite well and won not one, but two world cup tasks which was a great accomplishment for me.
I have my PWC Superfinal ticket in the bag, and put away some really good NTSS scores to help me in my quest to make the US National team for the FAI Worlds in Spain next summer.
11 full on days of racing, half of it battling full on walking pneumonia... I'm plum tuckered out! I'm feeling much better but honestly, for the first time in the last 10 years, I don't even want to see a paraglider for awhile. I haven't bothered to add them up, but someone said we had raced around 1000 kilometers over the past two weeks....
As far as today went for me.... It wasn't what I was hoping for for the last task. Usually the last task is a short and easier race which gets a very high number of pilots in goal. It was pretty much the opposite with very difficult conditions and only a few pilots in goal, with the pilots taking over 4 hours to complete the course. We had a great race out to the North and I flew really well with the lead gaggle to the first turn point. After we made the point, however, and turned back into the wind, it became quite difficult. A much larger gaggle which was following us but from a slightly different direction flew over us after we left the turn point, only they found a very good climb to 10,000 feet which was far higher than we had climbed, and were able to make much better progress into the head winds. I just wasn't patient enough, and tried to join them deeper into the flat lands, but when I went on glide in that direction, I was absolutely just flushed to the ground from 5000 feet. When I realized that things were getting desperate, I turned and ran with the wind to increase my chances of finding a thermal, but in huge sink that was relentless for me, and was on the ground wondering what had happened in no time.......Soon after I landed the dust devils started kicking off all over the place... I just got caught in a big down cycle and couldn't hold on long enough....
Next up for me will be the 2nd round of the US Nationals in Sun Valley, Idaho the end of August.....
I have my PWC Superfinal ticket in the bag, and put away some really good NTSS scores to help me in my quest to make the US National team for the FAI Worlds in Spain next summer.
11 full on days of racing, half of it battling full on walking pneumonia... I'm plum tuckered out! I'm feeling much better but honestly, for the first time in the last 10 years, I don't even want to see a paraglider for awhile. I haven't bothered to add them up, but someone said we had raced around 1000 kilometers over the past two weeks....
As far as today went for me.... It wasn't what I was hoping for for the last task. Usually the last task is a short and easier race which gets a very high number of pilots in goal. It was pretty much the opposite with very difficult conditions and only a few pilots in goal, with the pilots taking over 4 hours to complete the course. We had a great race out to the North and I flew really well with the lead gaggle to the first turn point. After we made the point, however, and turned back into the wind, it became quite difficult. A much larger gaggle which was following us but from a slightly different direction flew over us after we left the turn point, only they found a very good climb to 10,000 feet which was far higher than we had climbed, and were able to make much better progress into the head winds. I just wasn't patient enough, and tried to join them deeper into the flat lands, but when I went on glide in that direction, I was absolutely just flushed to the ground from 5000 feet. When I realized that things were getting desperate, I turned and ran with the wind to increase my chances of finding a thermal, but in huge sink that was relentless for me, and was on the ground wondering what had happened in no time.......Soon after I landed the dust devils started kicking off all over the place... I just got caught in a big down cycle and couldn't hold on long enough....
Next up for me will be the 2nd round of the US Nationals in Sun Valley, Idaho the end of August.....
Friday, July 23, 2010
Day 5 Task 5
Won the day again!
must sleep now... it's gonna be a horse race for the podium tomorrow.... feelin better!
Jack
must sleep now... it's gonna be a horse race for the podium tomorrow.... feelin better!
Jack
Day 4 Task 4
Today's flight will be one I'll always remember. My longest flight ever at 7 hours and 18 minutes. My longest distance at over 100 miles, and my first World Cup task win.
Probably the best part was sharing in the finish with my Mother over the phone after landing at goal. Thanks again Mom for always being my supporter and endless source of inspiration and wisdom!
Again, the day looked great from the get go and I think the task committee was thinking a big race from the beginning. I was hoping that maybe we could talk the organizer into having a really long and fast race downwind across the flat lands to the SE, but eventually the decision was made to call a large triangle of around 165 kilometers. The start would be at the Butte, and then we would head across the Columbia river to the flat lands for quite a ways. At the first turn point we would make a left turn towards Bridgeport, and then after Bridgeport another left turn to complete the triangle back down the river to Chelan.
My energy seemed quite a bit better so I was ready early and in a better frame of mind than the disappointing day before. The energy around launch was good and we all knew it was going to be a long and challenging day. There was clearly going to be some wind to deal with so that really had to be factored into the decision making process.
The early part of the race was full on racing, and I ended up out front early on by taking some better lines and a somewhat different route than the rest of the field. Spent very little time flying with others as pilots seemed to be really spread out all over the flats. I made the decision to go somewhat downwind on the first leg because the clouds and lift seemed better. It worked pretty good, but I lost the few pilots that I gaggled up with on the way so was pretty much on my own. It was seriously slow going into the wind and you really had to be patient, and only stop to turn in the strongest thermal cores. At the first turn point, several of us came together and again we hooked up in a small group of 4 gliders. The competition leader, Josh Cohn also joined me there as well. After the first turn point, it was very difficult going again with the head winds, and decision making became more crucial. We worked together as a group for awhile, but then I took a line again more to the North, away from the next turn point, because the sky just looked better and it seemed like the right thing to do. At this time there were just 3 of us together, and Josh had kind of had a sinky line and some bad luck, and I think he felt he needed to head more back to the south and parallel to the river. The one other lone pilot that was with me just didn't get the various lumps of lift I was getting, and also peeled off 90 degrees away from me towards some dust devils in the distance.
The reason they left was because we had to cross the river ahead, and if you didn't have good altitude, it looked like it could be difficult to keep going after the crossing. I just stayed with the small thermals and became very patient... eventually it paid off with a good climb and enough altitude to make the crossing. As far as I know, I was the only pilot to take a line so far to the north of the course. Across the river, there was a large plateau that was almost black in color with dormant fields and the dusties were just kicking off all over the place. I knew if I could make it there I would be in good position. The only pilots I could even see at this point were far in the distance and very low. By this time I think it was near 6 pm, so only the larger thermal triggers were still working.
My plan worked pretty good, and I even found some additional lift as I made the crossing. I got to the plateau plenty high, and after searching around for 5 or 10 minutes, I found a nice climb back up to about 7500 or so. From here I was able to glide straight to the Bridgeport turn point, and continue on to the mesa above the river. It was then an easy glide to the edge of the Rim, which was baking in the sun and producing good thermals.
From this point, looking at the clouds and sky in general, for the first time I thought I might actually make it to goal, even being so late in the flying day. Unfortunately, shortly after thinking I might make it to goal, I also ran out of lift and found myself skirting along below the top of the rim, and having to start picking out landing options. I was flying across the gradual sloping terrain, a few hundred feet above the ground.... I had a nice field along a dirt road picked out, but didn't give up and found a very small bubble of lift which allowed me to keep my altitude without really climbing or sinking.... This small bubble was drifting up the gradual slope very slowly towards the rim of the canyon. I knew that if I just stayed with it it would likely build and put me back in the game. Again I was very patient. I slowed down the glider as much as I could and just stayed with it. Pretty soon it released into a very nice climb, and took me back above the rim and to almost 12,000 feet.
From here I could see Chelan some 30 kilometers or so down the Columbia. Although I was high and in great shape for the moment, the day was winding down, and I could see plenty of texture on the river which meant that even though I finally had a tailwind at the moment, eventually this would turn into a difficult headwind once again. I worked bits of lift and tried to find the best lines along the rim along the final leg back to Chelan. There had been some nice big clouds about half way to goal when I left where I was hoping I could get a final climb, but by the time I got there everything had gone away and it was pretty much blue sky the rest of the way. About 15 kilometers from goal I was pretty sure that there was no way I was gonna make it. I was still at over 6 thousand feet, but I was starting to descend into the strongish winds flowing through the river gorge, and it just didn't look very promising. At the head of McNeil Canyon, I started to get big sink so was forced into a final decision of whether to go left and try and surf around the rim of the canyon, or go right and try and get on the river side of the high terrain which formed the west side of the canyon. If I went along the rim, I was worried I'd run into rotor when I got close to goal, so I chose the other route. I was down to about 8 mph without speed system engaged, and sinking like a rock.
Then something totally unexpected happened.... When I finally cleared the last ridge, and had nothing but strong headwind and big sink between me and the goal, I stopped sinking, and just starting gliding along neither going up or down. I did this all the way to goal. I was literally steady at 4000 feet the last 10 kilometers of the race. It was crazy, but really quite simple what was happening. The sun was going down... it was after 7 pm, and I had flown into a beautiful glass off condition, with the whole area just releasing slowly rising air from heated ground which had baked all day in the sun.... All this glass off air was just flowing right up the Columbia river canyon and releasing perfectly for me to just float my way into goal. The winds were still strong, and the going very slow, but I ended up struggling to find a way to get down after crossing the goal line around 7:30pm. I finally flew into the lee side of the Butte from where we launched, and found some good sink.
It was fun at the goal as I was the first one in, and there was quite a group there to greet me and cheer me on. 6 pilots total ended up making it to the goal field, but I was the only one who got there before the task deadline......
A great race for me, and it was fun to win a very difficult thinking man's day. Although several times throughout the race, some very strong pilots made other decisions on which way to go, etc... I never let myself get swayed from what I thought was the right decision, and it paid off. A nice chunk of points made my folly the day before ever so painful, as I could very easily be leading this thing with a nice margin. Have to look ahead now so I'm over it now (mostly) and happy to be in 5th place overall......
I did open my trimmers a little more today, and was promptly rewarded with my first full frontal collapse. Fortunately I was able to clear it without much trouble and continue on my way... I won't do that again unless I find very smooth air... I must remember to always honor the limits of my glider....
Thursday we had a day off due to strong winds.... I don't think there was anyone who wanted to go up the hill today anyway. 4 good days of flying (9 days for those of us who were here for the US Nationals) and pilots were ready for a day off. The weather for Friday and the last day, Saturday, so far looks like we will race, although there will be some wind to contend with......
I'm happy for all the pwc pilots who traveled so far to join us here in Chelan and crush the 2010 PWC weather curse which has been such a strong player this season.... Looks like more flying to come!
Jack
Probably the best part was sharing in the finish with my Mother over the phone after landing at goal. Thanks again Mom for always being my supporter and endless source of inspiration and wisdom!
Again, the day looked great from the get go and I think the task committee was thinking a big race from the beginning. I was hoping that maybe we could talk the organizer into having a really long and fast race downwind across the flat lands to the SE, but eventually the decision was made to call a large triangle of around 165 kilometers. The start would be at the Butte, and then we would head across the Columbia river to the flat lands for quite a ways. At the first turn point we would make a left turn towards Bridgeport, and then after Bridgeport another left turn to complete the triangle back down the river to Chelan.
My plan worked pretty good, and I even found some additional lift as I made the crossing. I got to the plateau plenty high, and after searching around for 5 or 10 minutes, I found a nice climb back up to about 7500 or so. From here I was able to glide straight to the Bridgeport turn point, and continue on to the mesa above the river. It was then an easy glide to the edge of the Rim, which was baking in the sun and producing good thermals.
From this point, looking at the clouds and sky in general, for the first time I thought I might actually make it to goal, even being so late in the flying day. Unfortunately, shortly after thinking I might make it to goal, I also ran out of lift and found myself skirting along below the top of the rim, and having to start picking out landing options. I was flying across the gradual sloping terrain, a few hundred feet above the ground.... I had a nice field along a dirt road picked out, but didn't give up and found a very small bubble of lift which allowed me to keep my altitude without really climbing or sinking.... This small bubble was drifting up the gradual slope very slowly towards the rim of the canyon. I knew that if I just stayed with it it would likely build and put me back in the game. Again I was very patient. I slowed down the glider as much as I could and just stayed with it. Pretty soon it released into a very nice climb, and took me back above the rim and to almost 12,000 feet.
From here I could see Chelan some 30 kilometers or so down the Columbia. Although I was high and in great shape for the moment, the day was winding down, and I could see plenty of texture on the river which meant that even though I finally had a tailwind at the moment, eventually this would turn into a difficult headwind once again. I worked bits of lift and tried to find the best lines along the rim along the final leg back to Chelan. There had been some nice big clouds about half way to goal when I left where I was hoping I could get a final climb, but by the time I got there everything had gone away and it was pretty much blue sky the rest of the way. About 15 kilometers from goal I was pretty sure that there was no way I was gonna make it. I was still at over 6 thousand feet, but I was starting to descend into the strongish winds flowing through the river gorge, and it just didn't look very promising. At the head of McNeil Canyon, I started to get big sink so was forced into a final decision of whether to go left and try and surf around the rim of the canyon, or go right and try and get on the river side of the high terrain which formed the west side of the canyon. If I went along the rim, I was worried I'd run into rotor when I got close to goal, so I chose the other route. I was down to about 8 mph without speed system engaged, and sinking like a rock.
It was fun at the goal as I was the first one in, and there was quite a group there to greet me and cheer me on. 6 pilots total ended up making it to the goal field, but I was the only one who got there before the task deadline......
I did open my trimmers a little more today, and was promptly rewarded with my first full frontal collapse. Fortunately I was able to clear it without much trouble and continue on my way... I won't do that again unless I find very smooth air... I must remember to always honor the limits of my glider....
Thursday we had a day off due to strong winds.... I don't think there was anyone who wanted to go up the hill today anyway. 4 good days of flying (9 days for those of us who were here for the US Nationals) and pilots were ready for a day off. The weather for Friday and the last day, Saturday, so far looks like we will race, although there will be some wind to contend with......
I'm happy for all the pwc pilots who traveled so far to join us here in Chelan and crush the 2010 PWC weather curse which has been such a strong player this season.... Looks like more flying to come!
Jack
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday day 3 Task 3
Oh my oh my oh my!!
I did not do well on launch today.... I really wasn't feeling it, and because of this I just didn't get ready in time. I had priority launching so I thought I'd just wait until the last minute when I thought I could just walk out there, launch, and still get a good start.... Trouble was, at about exactly the time I walked up to launch, the conditions switched and the winds started crossing from pretty much the only direction which makes it impossible to launch.
So there I sat.... So there we all sat. There were a whole herd of pilots who had been all dressed up and waiting in line for well over an hour, but things were just moving slowly, and many pilots didn't get launched until well after the race had started.
From a racing standpoint, this is a very difficult situation, as all pilots are supposed to be given an equal opportunity to start any given race at the set task start time. That clearly didn't happen today, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone didn't lodge a protest....
I've never seen the winds do what they did today in all the years I've raced at Chelan, and I have no idea what was happening, other than that there was just a huge amount of lift out in front of launch which was drawing the winds across the mountain top - and launch....
The race was pretty much over for me today before I even took off, as I had no chance to compete and the conditions were full on racing. Granted I should have just been ready earlier and launched early like many top pilots did.... I just wasn't feeling well enough to be aggressive and in that "mode" which is really critical when racing at this level. I clearly gambled and I lost....
Once I got out on course I flew pretty fast considering I flew most of the race by myself. They sent us up the Columbia on a beautiful flight to the town of Bridgeport, then out across the flats to Mansfield, and then back across the Chelan Butte and a ways to the West which is somewhere I've never raced before More than a 100k I think... The goal was back at the main lz along the river. The task ended up being "stopped" at the end, however, as the large clouds were over developing just a bit and dropping a small amount of rain. I made the end of speed section, which was 2 kilometers from the actual goal line. I knew that if they stopped the task, I would get the extra distance I needed for the goal because of a new pwc scoring rule which gives you additional distance based on your altitude at the time the task is stopped. This is how the rule reads, anyway, but I'm told that this distance for altitude rule doesn't apply if the actual goal is involved..... So to add insult to injury today I didn't get any of my time or speed points, which is a big hit for what should have been a total gimme... I was at 7 thousand feet, 1.8 kilometers from the actual goal when it was "stopped", just floating around looking for sink, knowing that eventually when I landed I cross the line and finish the race, or if was stopped I'd be given the extra distance based on my high altitude.... Oh WELL!!
Anyway, for whatever reason I'm feeling a bit better at the moment.... I pretty much had a cough drop in my mouth for the entire day today, and while I was flying I actually didn't feel too bad.... I need to eat more when I fly, so I think I'm going to start packing a few bananas to go along with the little GU packs I try and sanck on.....
Weather looks good again tomorrow, but might have some wind on Thursday. A day off certainly wouldn't break my heart.......
Didn't manage any pics today as I couldn't afford any distractions while flying. I landed at the very same winery where Sue and I had dinner last night. When we were driving out I noticed a beautiful grassy field and thought to myself how nice it would be to land there sometime.....so it came in quite handy as it was raining lightly at the main goal, and we do not want to get these competition gliders even a little bit wet....
I did not do well on launch today.... I really wasn't feeling it, and because of this I just didn't get ready in time. I had priority launching so I thought I'd just wait until the last minute when I thought I could just walk out there, launch, and still get a good start.... Trouble was, at about exactly the time I walked up to launch, the conditions switched and the winds started crossing from pretty much the only direction which makes it impossible to launch.
So there I sat.... So there we all sat. There were a whole herd of pilots who had been all dressed up and waiting in line for well over an hour, but things were just moving slowly, and many pilots didn't get launched until well after the race had started.
From a racing standpoint, this is a very difficult situation, as all pilots are supposed to be given an equal opportunity to start any given race at the set task start time. That clearly didn't happen today, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone didn't lodge a protest....
I've never seen the winds do what they did today in all the years I've raced at Chelan, and I have no idea what was happening, other than that there was just a huge amount of lift out in front of launch which was drawing the winds across the mountain top - and launch....
The race was pretty much over for me today before I even took off, as I had no chance to compete and the conditions were full on racing. Granted I should have just been ready earlier and launched early like many top pilots did.... I just wasn't feeling well enough to be aggressive and in that "mode" which is really critical when racing at this level. I clearly gambled and I lost....
Once I got out on course I flew pretty fast considering I flew most of the race by myself. They sent us up the Columbia on a beautiful flight to the town of Bridgeport, then out across the flats to Mansfield, and then back across the Chelan Butte and a ways to the West which is somewhere I've never raced before More than a 100k I think... The goal was back at the main lz along the river. The task ended up being "stopped" at the end, however, as the large clouds were over developing just a bit and dropping a small amount of rain. I made the end of speed section, which was 2 kilometers from the actual goal line. I knew that if they stopped the task, I would get the extra distance I needed for the goal because of a new pwc scoring rule which gives you additional distance based on your altitude at the time the task is stopped. This is how the rule reads, anyway, but I'm told that this distance for altitude rule doesn't apply if the actual goal is involved..... So to add insult to injury today I didn't get any of my time or speed points, which is a big hit for what should have been a total gimme... I was at 7 thousand feet, 1.8 kilometers from the actual goal when it was "stopped", just floating around looking for sink, knowing that eventually when I landed I cross the line and finish the race, or if was stopped I'd be given the extra distance based on my high altitude.... Oh WELL!!
Anyway, for whatever reason I'm feeling a bit better at the moment.... I pretty much had a cough drop in my mouth for the entire day today, and while I was flying I actually didn't feel too bad.... I need to eat more when I fly, so I think I'm going to start packing a few bananas to go along with the little GU packs I try and sanck on.....
Weather looks good again tomorrow, but might have some wind on Thursday. A day off certainly wouldn't break my heart.......
Didn't manage any pics today as I couldn't afford any distractions while flying. I landed at the very same winery where Sue and I had dinner last night. When we were driving out I noticed a beautiful grassy field and thought to myself how nice it would be to land there sometime.....so it came in quite handy as it was raining lightly at the main goal, and we do not want to get these competition gliders even a little bit wet....
Monday, July 19, 2010
Monday day 2 Task 2
Can't say too much this eve as I'm not feeling too well and need to get some good rest. Couldn't ask for better racing conditions.... A 119 kilometer triangle with goal back here in Chelan at the main landing field in a beautiful grassy park along the banks of the Columbia river. Lots of happy pilots in goal, and it seems that we've already had better flying weather in 2 days here in Chelan, than any of the 2010 world cups have had..... AND the forecast looks great so looks like more to come....
I flew well today but lost some ground with my walking pneumonia..... I figure it's time to just stop talking, as I think talking irritates the throat and causes the cough, which really takes it out of me. I'm afraid it's just asking too much to fight a bug and wrestle with a competition paraglider at 12,000 feet, while trying to keep up with the lead gaggle as well....
I guess we'll see how things go tomorrow.... Sue and I just had a really nice dinner at a winery which overlooks lake Chelan and it was very good....
Jack
I flew well today but lost some ground with my walking pneumonia..... I figure it's time to just stop talking, as I think talking irritates the throat and causes the cough, which really takes it out of me. I'm afraid it's just asking too much to fight a bug and wrestle with a competition paraglider at 12,000 feet, while trying to keep up with the lead gaggle as well....
I guess we'll see how things go tomorrow.... Sue and I just had a really nice dinner at a winery which overlooks lake Chelan and it was very good....
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Chelan Paragliding World Cup day 1 task 1
Wow a BIG thanks to Chelan for giving it up big time for all our visiting pilots from around the world. 100 pilots are here racing and the day started out looking windy but the good forecast prevailed and we had a great 94k race to goal.
Having two full days to recover from my nasty upper respiratory bug was enough and I made it through the day in pretty good shape.... Went through a few cough drops but the energy level is pretty good and I had lots of fun! The actual start of the race today was set quite a ways from the Chelan butte from which we take off. I was ready and launched more than an hour and fifteen minutes before the start of the race. I joined up with a strong gaggle and we were able to get established on the flats pretty well and then made our way up wind so that it would be a down wind start for us when the 2:00 start time arrived.
I don't think I let off the speed bar today hardly once except to climb, and I only let myself climb in the strongest thermal cores. I did have some excitement while adjusting my in flight relief system. Probably should have done that before I had to go so was rewarded with a big collapse on one side, and then the other before I was able to regain control. I was thinking that would be pretty ironic that I've managed my glider so well over the 60+ hours I have on it, and then I end up throwing my reserve messing around with my condom catheter!
Once again, as soon as we started the race, conditions were quite fast and you really had to push it to stay competitive. I enjoyed flying briefly with one of the GIN 2 liner protos, but managed to get away from him pretty quickly. Towards the end of the race I ended up with my friend Dean Stratton who flies the same glider as I do. We were honestly out front in position to go 1/2, and for some reason, don't ask me why, we just slowed down when we totally didn't need to. Just a few wasted turns in light lift was all it took to bring a huge gaggle of pilots in on top of us. As soon as I saw this we both took off and began the final leg of the race. Another US pilot made a great move and used his extra altitude to pass us both, and then Dean, trying hard to catch him took a big whack and by the time he had it sorted out I was able to just edge him to goal. A very strong pilot from South Africa also managed to sneak in just behind and below me where I couldn't see him and then at the last moment made a move and came in under neath me by 1 second! I think there were a dozen pilots into goal all with a few minutes of each other - very close and fun racing! We actually got to land on grass today which was a real treat as well!
When they score a race they have what they call leading points, which rewards pilots for pushing out ahead and finding thermals on their own. It's ever so much easier to come from behind and have all the lift "marked" for you so they are good about rewarding those pilots who take more risk.... Because of leading points, sometimes just getting to the goal first isn't enough to actually beat the person who comes in right behind you..
I had a great first day, and I'm sure I'm in the top 5 so am very happy with my best world cup task finish yet. It's just gonna get more competitive each day as pilots get more tuned in and tuned up with their gliders. You really have to be on your game to stay competitive.
The weather forecast looks stellar, and I hate to speculate, but it looks like the 2010 PWC (paragliding world cup) weather curse may finally be coming to and end!. Tomorrow it looks like the winds will be manageable again, and the climbs should be to 12,000 feet! Might even have to get out the hand warmers!
If you want to catch some of the action while it happens, the PWC website has pictures, videos, and a live leaderboard along with some live tracking with those pilots who are using the Spot devices...
http://www.paraglidingworldcup.org/
Jack
Having two full days to recover from my nasty upper respiratory bug was enough and I made it through the day in pretty good shape.... Went through a few cough drops but the energy level is pretty good and I had lots of fun! The actual start of the race today was set quite a ways from the Chelan butte from which we take off. I was ready and launched more than an hour and fifteen minutes before the start of the race. I joined up with a strong gaggle and we were able to get established on the flats pretty well and then made our way up wind so that it would be a down wind start for us when the 2:00 start time arrived.
I don't think I let off the speed bar today hardly once except to climb, and I only let myself climb in the strongest thermal cores. I did have some excitement while adjusting my in flight relief system. Probably should have done that before I had to go so was rewarded with a big collapse on one side, and then the other before I was able to regain control. I was thinking that would be pretty ironic that I've managed my glider so well over the 60+ hours I have on it, and then I end up throwing my reserve messing around with my condom catheter!
Once again, as soon as we started the race, conditions were quite fast and you really had to push it to stay competitive. I enjoyed flying briefly with one of the GIN 2 liner protos, but managed to get away from him pretty quickly. Towards the end of the race I ended up with my friend Dean Stratton who flies the same glider as I do. We were honestly out front in position to go 1/2, and for some reason, don't ask me why, we just slowed down when we totally didn't need to. Just a few wasted turns in light lift was all it took to bring a huge gaggle of pilots in on top of us. As soon as I saw this we both took off and began the final leg of the race. Another US pilot made a great move and used his extra altitude to pass us both, and then Dean, trying hard to catch him took a big whack and by the time he had it sorted out I was able to just edge him to goal. A very strong pilot from South Africa also managed to sneak in just behind and below me where I couldn't see him and then at the last moment made a move and came in under neath me by 1 second! I think there were a dozen pilots into goal all with a few minutes of each other - very close and fun racing! We actually got to land on grass today which was a real treat as well!
The weather forecast looks stellar, and I hate to speculate, but it looks like the 2010 PWC (paragliding world cup) weather curse may finally be coming to and end!. Tomorrow it looks like the winds will be manageable again, and the climbs should be to 12,000 feet! Might even have to get out the hand warmers!
If you want to catch some of the action while it happens, the PWC website has pictures, videos, and a live leaderboard along with some live tracking with those pilots who are using the Spot devices...
http://www.paraglidingworldcup.org/
Jack
Saturday, July 17, 2010
PWC Practice day and registration
I'm sitting on the deck of our condo with Sue looking out at yet another gaggle forming high above the butte getting ready to make the crossing to the flats. The weather today for the official practice day, as well as the forecast for the next few days looks really good. Pilots have been arriving from all around the world and the mood seems pretty upbeat that perhaps this will be the week where the 2010 pwc weather curse gets broken... we are all keeping our fingers crossed!
Last night at dinner I felt right at home listening to a table of 4 Italian pilots conversing in their native language. Much of the world will be represented here in Chelan over the next week...
The pwc staff arrived last night and I think they are probably pretty tired as they've been going pretty steadily, just finishing up competitions in Greece and Italy. They have a very nice accomodation here in a nice 5 bedroom home so hopefully they can relax somewhat and enjoy the week.
Yesterday morning when I woke up I knew I had to do something as my chest was scary conjested. I called my clinic at home and was able to get them to send a prescription for Zylomax which is what did the trick for me last time. Ive been through several courses of antibiotics over the years trying to find one that would beat up on this particular strain of mycoplasma.... most due nothing at all. One a day for 5 days... that's it. I woke up in the middle of the night last night just drenched in sweat, and then this morning I felt ever so much better so I'm hoping that things will come together and I'll be ready to race tomorrow morning.... Thank goodness I had a couple of days to regroup and recover!
Official registration for the Chelan pwc starts this afternoon, followed by the pilots meeting and opening party. Tomorrow morning we head up to start the competition. The world cup events run for 7 days, but if we fly 6 days in a row then we probably won't race on the last day...
How to be faster and smarter than last week? Just gotta believe - and more importantly, I want to do good for my Mother who is my best supporter!
Jack
Last night at dinner I felt right at home listening to a table of 4 Italian pilots conversing in their native language. Much of the world will be represented here in Chelan over the next week...
The pwc staff arrived last night and I think they are probably pretty tired as they've been going pretty steadily, just finishing up competitions in Greece and Italy. They have a very nice accomodation here in a nice 5 bedroom home so hopefully they can relax somewhat and enjoy the week.
Yesterday morning when I woke up I knew I had to do something as my chest was scary conjested. I called my clinic at home and was able to get them to send a prescription for Zylomax which is what did the trick for me last time. Ive been through several courses of antibiotics over the years trying to find one that would beat up on this particular strain of mycoplasma.... most due nothing at all. One a day for 5 days... that's it. I woke up in the middle of the night last night just drenched in sweat, and then this morning I felt ever so much better so I'm hoping that things will come together and I'll be ready to race tomorrow morning.... Thank goodness I had a couple of days to regroup and recover!
Official registration for the Chelan pwc starts this afternoon, followed by the pilots meeting and opening party. Tomorrow morning we head up to start the competition. The world cup events run for 7 days, but if we fly 6 days in a row then we probably won't race on the last day...
How to be faster and smarter than last week? Just gotta believe - and more importantly, I want to do good for my Mother who is my best supporter!
Jack
Thursday Task 5 (final day)
Been battling a bug the past few days and last night it clearly won the battle. Two days in a row of 100 kilometer racing (did I say RACING!?) isn't exactly what I'd define as taking it easy trying to battle a bug. Seems I can't manage to just come down with a simple cold or flu.... Over the past 7 or 8 years I've managed to get whacked with walking pneumonia, or maybe I should call it "flying pneumonia?" It's always at a comp seems like, and I can still function but it really taxes the body. I'm told that once you get pneumonia, it's with you for the rest of your life, and can come back to visit quite easily....
So yesterday I really had to focus and had my array of over the counter medications to try and help the symptoms, and even had a bottle of aloe jucie in my flight deck that I could sip on now and then. As long as I had a cough drop going I was ok, but clearly wouldn't have flown if I hadn't had some severe incentive.
Day 5 was the most difficult day of the week, and conditions early on in the race were very desparate with many pilots bombing out very early. We crossed the Columbia much lower than I would have liked and ended up groveling low in the hills below the rim in very light lift that was sometimes sustaining, and other times not. Someone out front finally caught a thermal which was just a bit stronger and my group all raced to join in. We got just high enough to head back towards the top of the rim where we found another thermal which again gave us just enough altitute to push in a bit deeper towards the power lines. By this time are group had shrunk to just 5 gliders and we were now just 3 hundred feet or so above the power lines, and we couldn't find anything but just gradually sinking air. 3 of our group lost it and were landing.... I decided to just take the little altitude I had and just headed down wind across the nearest big dirt field. I blundered right into the first good thermal of the day and Josh joined me and we had a nice climb out and were one our way....
This was exactly how I wanted the day NOT to go. I had a good cushion of points and I didn't want to hang back or take it easy on the last race, but I clearly didn't want to be in such a desperate position in risk of dirting and losing everything I had worked so hard through the week to gain!! It was quite stressfull for quite awhile, so when I finally banked it over into a nice climb it was SUCH a relief. After the initial climb it was quite fast and easy as is ususally the case here - once you get established in the flats it's full on racing... As usual, Josh easily outclimbed me and pushed out ahead and was second into goal behind Dean Stratton who had gotten away a bit earlier than everyone else. I did well coming in tied for third I think it was, but easily holding on to my 2nd place overall position, and first for the Americans. Conditions at goal were interesting with large dust devils kicking off pretty close to where we were landing...
The awards party was short and sweet with a great catered BBQ to load up on. My metabolism is off in the stratosphere somewhere and I can barely keep up... Staying hydrated is also a huge challenge but I'm doing ok on that front as well.
Time now to regroup, take a deep breath and see If I can battle this upper respiratory nastiness.... gotta get ready for week 2!
So yesterday I really had to focus and had my array of over the counter medications to try and help the symptoms, and even had a bottle of aloe jucie in my flight deck that I could sip on now and then. As long as I had a cough drop going I was ok, but clearly wouldn't have flown if I hadn't had some severe incentive.
Day 5 was the most difficult day of the week, and conditions early on in the race were very desparate with many pilots bombing out very early. We crossed the Columbia much lower than I would have liked and ended up groveling low in the hills below the rim in very light lift that was sometimes sustaining, and other times not. Someone out front finally caught a thermal which was just a bit stronger and my group all raced to join in. We got just high enough to head back towards the top of the rim where we found another thermal which again gave us just enough altitute to push in a bit deeper towards the power lines. By this time are group had shrunk to just 5 gliders and we were now just 3 hundred feet or so above the power lines, and we couldn't find anything but just gradually sinking air. 3 of our group lost it and were landing.... I decided to just take the little altitude I had and just headed down wind across the nearest big dirt field. I blundered right into the first good thermal of the day and Josh joined me and we had a nice climb out and were one our way....
The awards party was short and sweet with a great catered BBQ to load up on. My metabolism is off in the stratosphere somewhere and I can barely keep up... Staying hydrated is also a huge challenge but I'm doing ok on that front as well.
Time now to regroup, take a deep breath and see If I can battle this upper respiratory nastiness.... gotta get ready for week 2!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Wednesday Task 4
All I can say is I'm beat! Another 106K race across the flat lands and back to the main landing field along the banks of the Columbia river.
Was thinking alot about my mom today and wishing her the best.... She sent me a very special gift to fly with I've had it around my neck each day... Thanks Mom!
Not sure how I finished today because the end of speed section was a full 10 kilometers from goal, and there were several wings competiting for the top spots. I do know that, once again, Russ Ogden, one of the key people who designed and tested the glider I'm flying won the day once again.... It's possible that I had a good finish but won't know until the scores are posted.....
Here is the link to the results:
http://chorlton.homeip.net/overall_open.html
got to sleep and get ready for the last day of the Nationals on Thursday.....
Was thinking alot about my mom today and wishing her the best.... She sent me a very special gift to fly with I've had it around my neck each day... Thanks Mom!
Not sure how I finished today because the end of speed section was a full 10 kilometers from goal, and there were several wings competiting for the top spots. I do know that, once again, Russ Ogden, one of the key people who designed and tested the glider I'm flying won the day once again.... It's possible that I had a good finish but won't know until the scores are posted.....
Here is the link to the results:
got to sleep and get ready for the last day of the Nationals on Thursday.....
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tuesday Task 3
Oh my must remember to breathe! The final glide today was so intense! For once the top 2 US pilots were behind me racing into goal instead of in front and to my left which is where I typically place them on final glide....
We had a really fun 105k race today with lots of pilots in goal. It was classic Chelan flatland flying with full on racing conditions for the entire race.
The forecast was for lots of wind and many of us thought we wouldn't even have a task so we were a bunch of very happy pilots. Some of the climbs later in the race were so fun with the varios just singing at better than 8 meters per second.
Today was all about finding the strong core and not wasting any time climbing in light lift. I'd say that for almost 90% of my flight I was either climbing in a strong core or pushing the speed bar racing to the next climb.
There were red Ozone R10.2s everywhere today!! At one point I think I was in a group of 10 of them. Crazy. It's fun with so many pilots on the same glider.... It really comes down to more decision making and it's quite nice being on even ground in terms of performance.
Headed back on retrieve now and looking forward to a nice barbecue with Sue and other friends. We splurged for a nice condo which looks out over the lake so we are quite comfortable.
I finished well today and have been pretty consistent over the first 3 tasks. Tomorrow looks good as well and it's looking like we'll get good weather on the last day too.
My mothers necklace gift is feeling good around my neck and is inspiring. As my friend and mentor Bill Belcourt told me... "all that's left for you to do is just believe you can do it"
Jack
We had a really fun 105k race today with lots of pilots in goal. It was classic Chelan flatland flying with full on racing conditions for the entire race.
The forecast was for lots of wind and many of us thought we wouldn't even have a task so we were a bunch of very happy pilots. Some of the climbs later in the race were so fun with the varios just singing at better than 8 meters per second.
Today was all about finding the strong core and not wasting any time climbing in light lift. I'd say that for almost 90% of my flight I was either climbing in a strong core or pushing the speed bar racing to the next climb.
There were red Ozone R10.2s everywhere today!! At one point I think I was in a group of 10 of them. Crazy. It's fun with so many pilots on the same glider.... It really comes down to more decision making and it's quite nice being on even ground in terms of performance.
Headed back on retrieve now and looking forward to a nice barbecue with Sue and other friends. We splurged for a nice condo which looks out over the lake so we are quite comfortable.
I finished well today and have been pretty consistent over the first 3 tasks. Tomorrow looks good as well and it's looking like we'll get good weather on the last day too.
My mothers necklace gift is feeling good around my neck and is inspiring. As my friend and mentor Bill Belcourt told me... "all that's left for you to do is just believe you can do it"
Jack
Monday, July 12, 2010
Goal Sunday
Sunday Day 2
We had wind in the forecast today so we weren't sure if we would get a task off or not. We headed up to launch around 9am and the conditions seemed good so the task committee set a 76K task across the flats and we got ready to race. Conditions were quite smokey due to a very large wildfire which had started on Friday up near Wenatchee.
Conditions got kind of windy on launch so pilots were very hesitant to get in the air but eventually pilots started launching and we were under way. Winds eventually increased to the point where the organizers had to close the goal so there were several pilots who were not able to fly.
I joined a gaggle of very strong pilots, most of who are flying the same glider as I, and at the race start time of 1:30, we headed out across the Columbia river and to the flat lands beyond. It seemed as only the best performing gliders were able to make the crossing, and many pilots ended up landing along the river at the main landing field. A couple groups of us, however, did make it across and were able to get established and on our way on course. We all knew that the winds were coming, but just didn't know when. About half way through the race they did come and things got very interesting.
After the last gps turn point, several pilots found some big sink and ended up landing. I managed to find a thermal just in time and a couple of us were able to continue on course. The last leg was directly into the wind which made things extremely difficult. Paragliders are the slowest form of aircraft anyway, so if you add in a big head wind it gets very difficult to go anywhere. I only had about 6 miles to go to make the goal, but it seemed like it took my forever. When I found the thermal that kept us in the game, I had no choice but to stay with it and climb as it took my downwind at a very fast pace, further from goal. When I finally got high enough that I felt I could push back into the wind towards goal, I was another 3 miles further away!
I kept being patient and inching my way forward. In front of me the clouds were getting deeper and more widespread so there was plenty of lift to find on the way. About 5 miles from the goal it got so windy that I was basically "parked" going nowhere really, but the lift was so abundant under the widespread clouds that I was able to just inch my way forward, while still climbing. I was able to push my speed bar and accelerate the glider up to about 10 or 12mph at times, and at other times I was only able to make 3 or 4 mph. When I came to the edge of the clouds, still a few miles from the goal, I was at over 10,000 feet and was basically looking down at the goal in front of me. My glider glides at about 11 to 1 glide ratio so in theory I should be able to glide for miles with the altitude I had. I actually had a 2 to 1 glide ratio to goal, and I did make it but with only about 500 feet to spare. The lower I got, the windier it got so just after I made the goal, I started to drift backwards.
I've had several high wind landings over the years, so I wasn't too concerned, but it was a bit unsettling to see the wind whipping through the wheat fields, and I also watched a huge dust devil kick off not too far away, and it was screaming down wind at 20 to 30 mph. I would have taken a picture of it but there was no way I was letting go of my controls at that point as it was starting to get pretty rough. I picked a large field with just sporadic wheat growing in it and tried to time it so that I would land in the middle of the field. As it was I ended up going backwards at about 15 mph when I touched down. I did a perfect high wind landing technique and even almost stayed on my feet!
Only 3 pilots made goal but the day won't be very "valid" for points due to the high number of pilots who didn't make it out on the course line....
Pics from goal to follow...
Conditions got kind of windy on launch so pilots were very hesitant to get in the air but eventually pilots started launching and we were under way. Winds eventually increased to the point where the organizers had to close the goal so there were several pilots who were not able to fly.
I joined a gaggle of very strong pilots, most of who are flying the same glider as I, and at the race start time of 1:30, we headed out across the Columbia river and to the flat lands beyond. It seemed as only the best performing gliders were able to make the crossing, and many pilots ended up landing along the river at the main landing field. A couple groups of us, however, did make it across and were able to get established and on our way on course. We all knew that the winds were coming, but just didn't know when. About half way through the race they did come and things got very interesting.
After the last gps turn point, several pilots found some big sink and ended up landing. I managed to find a thermal just in time and a couple of us were able to continue on course. The last leg was directly into the wind which made things extremely difficult. Paragliders are the slowest form of aircraft anyway, so if you add in a big head wind it gets very difficult to go anywhere. I only had about 6 miles to go to make the goal, but it seemed like it took my forever. When I found the thermal that kept us in the game, I had no choice but to stay with it and climb as it took my downwind at a very fast pace, further from goal. When I finally got high enough that I felt I could push back into the wind towards goal, I was another 3 miles further away!
I kept being patient and inching my way forward. In front of me the clouds were getting deeper and more widespread so there was plenty of lift to find on the way. About 5 miles from the goal it got so windy that I was basically "parked" going nowhere really, but the lift was so abundant under the widespread clouds that I was able to just inch my way forward, while still climbing. I was able to push my speed bar and accelerate the glider up to about 10 or 12mph at times, and at other times I was only able to make 3 or 4 mph. When I came to the edge of the clouds, still a few miles from the goal, I was at over 10,000 feet and was basically looking down at the goal in front of me. My glider glides at about 11 to 1 glide ratio so in theory I should be able to glide for miles with the altitude I had. I actually had a 2 to 1 glide ratio to goal, and I did make it but with only about 500 feet to spare. The lower I got, the windier it got so just after I made the goal, I started to drift backwards.
I've had several high wind landings over the years, so I wasn't too concerned, but it was a bit unsettling to see the wind whipping through the wheat fields, and I also watched a huge dust devil kick off not too far away, and it was screaming down wind at 20 to 30 mph. I would have taken a picture of it but there was no way I was letting go of my controls at that point as it was starting to get pretty rough. I picked a large field with just sporadic wheat growing in it and tried to time it so that I would land in the middle of the field. As it was I ended up going backwards at about 15 mph when I touched down. I did a perfect high wind landing technique and even almost stayed on my feet!
Only 3 pilots made goal but the day won't be very "valid" for points due to the high number of pilots who didn't make it out on the course line....
Pics from goal to follow...
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
2010 Chelan US Nationals
I've finally made it to the computer but am so very tired from a long race day. Today was day 1 of the US Nationals in Chelan, Washington. There are about 100 pilots competiting, with many pilots from other parts of the world here as well who came early before the World cup event here next week.
It was classic Chelan racing conditions with an 88 kilometer race to goal. We launched on the Chelan Butte and then crossed the Columbia River and raced across the flat lands towards Spokane. The thermals were plentiful, and it was a real fun day. There are some very strong visiting pilots flying here along with all the top US pilots as well. The pilot who won the day is the Ozone test pilot from France who helped develop and test the glider I'm flying! There are many of these gliders here and they are almost all the same color... it's very hard to tell who's who when flying! Next week everyone will have numbers so it will be much easier to tell who you're thermaling and racing with.
I was ok with my flying today - I was 6th into goal and just behind the others who came in ahead of me. I raced the whole race with most of them but somehow once again lost focus towards the end of the race and let myself get a bit behind. The good news is that when it comes to the glider, for the first time competiting, I feel like I'm on even ground with all other pilots. I've finally managed to get myself positioned on one of the very best performing gliders available, and so far it's treated me quite well. The glider commands much respect but if you do treat it like the souped up, tricked out racing machine that it is, it rewards you with amazing performance. When you get to cloudbase at 12,000 feet you can really go somewhere! It' a great time to be in the sport. This glider performs as well or better than some of the older hanggliders which is really something for fabric and string!
Must sleep! More wind tomorrow but were hoping to still be able to have a race. Monday looks "blown out" for sure as the jet stream is going to be coming right in overhead.
Jack
It was classic Chelan racing conditions with an 88 kilometer race to goal. We launched on the Chelan Butte and then crossed the Columbia River and raced across the flat lands towards Spokane. The thermals were plentiful, and it was a real fun day. There are some very strong visiting pilots flying here along with all the top US pilots as well. The pilot who won the day is the Ozone test pilot from France who helped develop and test the glider I'm flying! There are many of these gliders here and they are almost all the same color... it's very hard to tell who's who when flying! Next week everyone will have numbers so it will be much easier to tell who you're thermaling and racing with.
I was ok with my flying today - I was 6th into goal and just behind the others who came in ahead of me. I raced the whole race with most of them but somehow once again lost focus towards the end of the race and let myself get a bit behind. The good news is that when it comes to the glider, for the first time competiting, I feel like I'm on even ground with all other pilots. I've finally managed to get myself positioned on one of the very best performing gliders available, and so far it's treated me quite well. The glider commands much respect but if you do treat it like the souped up, tricked out racing machine that it is, it rewards you with amazing performance. When you get to cloudbase at 12,000 feet you can really go somewhere! It' a great time to be in the sport. This glider performs as well or better than some of the older hanggliders which is really something for fabric and string!
Must sleep! More wind tomorrow but were hoping to still be able to have a race. Monday looks "blown out" for sure as the jet stream is going to be coming right in overhead.
Jack
Sunday, June 6, 2010
last day pics
View from HQ
Old dog who kept us company at our lodge
Shoes for outside the bathroom, and shoes for inside the bathroom - always shoes!
Sue ejoying the sunny afternoon before the awards ceremony
Almost to the top of the leader board!
Saturday
It's always nice to finish a competition which has been plagued by bad weather on a good note. That's just what happened in Hakuba Japan. Our final race day, Saturday, didn't look very promising in the morning, but ended up being beautiful and we had a very successful race and really fun flying. The pwc Japan ended up being fully valid, so there were many happy pilots who managed to secure a ticket to the Superfinal in Turkey in the fall.
I was not one of them, although I certainly had my opportunities! The last day was no exception. Again, because the weather was uncertain, an individual start time race was called, meaning that every pilot was racing against the clock individually, and not directly against each other. Nobody would know for sure what their place was until gps units were downloaded at the end of the day.
It was still cloudy when we launched, and conditions were light. It looked to me like the conditions were going to be getting much stronger in the next hour, so I decided to just stay and fly around the launch area, after watching every pilot go on glide towards the first turn point. A pilots individual race started as soon as they entered the 4 kilometer start cylinder. If you didn't like how things were going when you entered the cylinder, you could fly out of it and then re-enter when it looked good for you. The scoring system would only look at the last time you entered the start cylinder.
My patience paid off after about a half hour and some nice puffy clouds formed up behind launch. I thermaled up to cloud base in a strong climb - I was the only pilot in the area - every other pilot had left out on course. I then flew back just out of the start cylinder so I would have a fresh time start, and went on glide. I just killed the first part of the race compared to the rest of the field who had left much lower and struggled initially. This gave me a huge time advantage. I wouldn't get leading points which are awarded to pilots who push out ahead but I was hoping for a fast enough time that leading points wouldn't matter. I made the first large valley crossing really high, and was on top of the next ridge in perfect position for the next part of the race. Here is where I made the mistake that cost me my superfinal ticket. I was so focused on the sky, the clouds, the terrain, and the rest of it, that I managed to fly right past the first turn point. When I caught my mistake, I had to make a 90 deg turn to the left and fly a full 2 kilometers out into the valley, and then the 2 kilometers back, getting simply drilled both way and losing tons of altitude. It would have been a simple matter of adjusting my initial line straight to the turn point if I had been paying attention!! This mistake cost me a solid 5 minutes. Even with this major brain cramp, I still had the 2nd fastest time of the day, but ended up 8th for the day after leading points were factored in..... Oh well at least I caught my mistake when I was still in position to correct it!!
The awards and closing party were fun and the organizers overall did an excellent job of keeping us entertained throughout the bad weather time. We finished with 2 really fun race days. I think on the 2nd task when I flew by the turn point, I was so taken with the beauty of the mountains and the surrounding areas that I can see how I got distracted.
Sunday morning we got on a nice bus from Hakuba into Nagano, and then on the Bullet train to Tokyo. It was amazing to go streaking through the countryside, under large mountain ranges in just minutes through endless tunnels, and wind up in downtown Tokyo in just a little over an hour. Another train ride to Narita airport and we were ready for our flight back to Seattle. United treated us great and we enjoyed a nice ride in business class on the Boeing 777.
We stopped in Medord on the way home to fly and visit with Wil and Teal. Had a few more great flights and finally feeling dialed in on my R10.2. Incredible glider which commands an incredible amount of respect and energy to be properly managed.... but worth every bit of it. I'd say for the first time that I feel that I'm on on even keel in terms of performance with other top US pilots. It will be interesting to see if I can perform at the US Nationals and the PWC Chelan.
Been spending tons of time helping the Chelan PWC organizers get ready to host the first paragliding world cup event in the US since the early 90s. Looks like things are coming together and it should be a really fun event.
Have decided to withdraw from the Greece pwc to stay closer to home and may attend the RatRace which starts next weekend in Oregon. I'm planning to watch the weather and if it looks good head down there to Medford. I have lots of friends who will be competing and could really use a good warm up comp to get me ready for the Nationals which start July 10th.
I was not one of them, although I certainly had my opportunities! The last day was no exception. Again, because the weather was uncertain, an individual start time race was called, meaning that every pilot was racing against the clock individually, and not directly against each other. Nobody would know for sure what their place was until gps units were downloaded at the end of the day.
It was still cloudy when we launched, and conditions were light. It looked to me like the conditions were going to be getting much stronger in the next hour, so I decided to just stay and fly around the launch area, after watching every pilot go on glide towards the first turn point. A pilots individual race started as soon as they entered the 4 kilometer start cylinder. If you didn't like how things were going when you entered the cylinder, you could fly out of it and then re-enter when it looked good for you. The scoring system would only look at the last time you entered the start cylinder.
My patience paid off after about a half hour and some nice puffy clouds formed up behind launch. I thermaled up to cloud base in a strong climb - I was the only pilot in the area - every other pilot had left out on course. I then flew back just out of the start cylinder so I would have a fresh time start, and went on glide. I just killed the first part of the race compared to the rest of the field who had left much lower and struggled initially. This gave me a huge time advantage. I wouldn't get leading points which are awarded to pilots who push out ahead but I was hoping for a fast enough time that leading points wouldn't matter. I made the first large valley crossing really high, and was on top of the next ridge in perfect position for the next part of the race. Here is where I made the mistake that cost me my superfinal ticket. I was so focused on the sky, the clouds, the terrain, and the rest of it, that I managed to fly right past the first turn point. When I caught my mistake, I had to make a 90 deg turn to the left and fly a full 2 kilometers out into the valley, and then the 2 kilometers back, getting simply drilled both way and losing tons of altitude. It would have been a simple matter of adjusting my initial line straight to the turn point if I had been paying attention!! This mistake cost me a solid 5 minutes. Even with this major brain cramp, I still had the 2nd fastest time of the day, but ended up 8th for the day after leading points were factored in..... Oh well at least I caught my mistake when I was still in position to correct it!!
The awards and closing party were fun and the organizers overall did an excellent job of keeping us entertained throughout the bad weather time. We finished with 2 really fun race days. I think on the 2nd task when I flew by the turn point, I was so taken with the beauty of the mountains and the surrounding areas that I can see how I got distracted.
Sunday morning we got on a nice bus from Hakuba into Nagano, and then on the Bullet train to Tokyo. It was amazing to go streaking through the countryside, under large mountain ranges in just minutes through endless tunnels, and wind up in downtown Tokyo in just a little over an hour. Another train ride to Narita airport and we were ready for our flight back to Seattle. United treated us great and we enjoyed a nice ride in business class on the Boeing 777.
We stopped in Medord on the way home to fly and visit with Wil and Teal. Had a few more great flights and finally feeling dialed in on my R10.2. Incredible glider which commands an incredible amount of respect and energy to be properly managed.... but worth every bit of it. I'd say for the first time that I feel that I'm on on even keel in terms of performance with other top US pilots. It will be interesting to see if I can perform at the US Nationals and the PWC Chelan.
Been spending tons of time helping the Chelan PWC organizers get ready to host the first paragliding world cup event in the US since the early 90s. Looks like things are coming together and it should be a really fun event.
Have decided to withdraw from the Greece pwc to stay closer to home and may attend the RatRace which starts next weekend in Oregon. I'm planning to watch the weather and if it looks good head down there to Medford. I have lots of friends who will be competing and could really use a good warm up comp to get me ready for the Nationals which start July 10th.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Finally a great race day
Well seeing as how the local weather just refused to cooperate, the organizers just upped and moved the entire comp for a day to the mountains adjacent to Mt. Fuji - much closer to Tokyo.
It was an early 3:45 wake up for a 4:45 bus departure. They said about 4 hours including a few rest stops and that's about what it was. Seemed really windy when we first arrived in the area, but sure enough things died down enough to have a nice race. It was really great to finally get up to launch under nice skies and see pilots thermaling and know that we were going to have a fun afternoon.
Now the launch situation was something I have never seen. The launch is actually built right up and off the forest floor. Seemed constructed mostly of metal, and was covered with some kind of fabric. The only problem was that it was quite small... only large enough to lay out 2 gliders at a time, and the wind was light and fickle most of the time.
I've never seen so many sketchy launches which almost resulted in the pilot going over the edge with a partially inflated wing. the organizers and their helpers were positioned at the bottom with a loud speaker shouting instructions... BRAKES! or RUN RUN RUN! They were practically catching pilots who were about to go careening over the edge with a glider only half inflated.... There was netting out front - kind of like you would see approaching the top of a ski chair lift so if you did get all balled up and go over without flying it wouldn't be too serious. I managed to let the launch situation really distract me, and even though I had a good priority for launching, I kind of moseyed around taking my time, watching one top pilot after another launch...
The race today was a bit different then what we usually do. It was an "elapsed time race" instead of the normal race to goal. This type of race has several different start times, and is designed to try and make things more fair when the launch area is very slow or restricted as it was today.
Only problem was, the race course today was a 65k task set to go back and forth along the mountains. The first group was made up of very strong pilots - once they made the first turn point and turned to come back the other way, all they had to do was just look and pick their thermals as everything was completely mapped out for them by all the other pilots who were starting later. The first group just cruised and were much faster than any of the others who started later..... Perhaps some day it will just click for me and I'll finally "just get it" and won't be late to the start anymore... You think I'd learn after all these years. My launch was fine, and when I relaxed in my harness after getting airborne, I was being very thankful that I'd had an easy time of it after watching so many others struggle with very scary launches. Why I didn't just get ready and go with the leaders is beyond me.... typical Jack self psych out...
Had a great time on my R10.2 today, and only took one small tip crevate over 2:40 of very strong conditions at times. Glider is feeling more comfortable every time I fly it... Gin threw his reserve but landed just fine, and another pilot went into some trees but also escaped unscathed.
Tomorrow, the last day of the comp looks marginal again for the weather here in Hakuba, and we won't be traveling the comp again to Mt. Fuji..... So, it may have been a one task comp... I'll have to set my Superfinal ticket sights on Chelan in July......
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Monkey Business
Seems like I've been writing more about my non-flying activities this season than my flying! Oh well, it's all good and Sue and I have been having a really nice time together. It used to really bother me when we couldn't race due to the weather, but I've become better with it over the years. The world cup, after all, is also about seeing different places, and enjoying the temporary immersion into other cultures around the world.
As with most of the world cup destinations I've visited thus far, they are usuallly well of the beaten tourist path, and typcially located in beautiful mountainous regions. Hakuba is no different with the exception that most of the valley floors are covered with rice paddies!
Today was another good day to leave the local Hakuba valley as it poured rain there all day. Again the competition organized a day trip for the foreign pilots. One bus went to a castle in Matsamoto, and the other bus went to see the Onsen Monkeys. "Onsen" is Japanese for hot spring or hot bath, and we all know what monkeys are! Put the two of them together and it makes for some very interesting and entertaining sight seeing.
It was about a half hour walk through a beautiful forest to get to the river and hot spring. There are about 200 monkeys which inhabit this particular area and they seemed quite at home with all of us gawking at them and taking pictures. The youngsters were playing endlessly while the adults looked on and seemed rather board with it all. When I first walked into the area and came upon the first monkey, I sat down on a rock and started to film him with my small Go Pro video camera. He came right up to me and actually started to climb on me while reaching for my camera. Fortunately my grip was just a bit stronger than his as I was prepared for his antics! He actually got his hand around the camera and we had just a bit of a tug-a-war for a moment before I elbowed him and made it clear who the dominant male was at the moment....
The young babies were definately a 10 on the cuteness scale. I watched one very young one venture away from it's mother, trying bravely to climb a small little hill on it's own. It made it a few feet and then lost it's grip on the ground and rolled end over end backwards right back down to it's mother who reached out and scooped the little guy up as he was about to go tumbling by....
The organization is optimistic and thinks we might get a chance to fly tomorrow. Looking at the satelite and weather forecast I can't say that I agree but nothing wrong with optimism. It takes a minimum of 2 decent days of racing to make the competition valid enough to award 15 places in the Superfinal. If this ends up being a total bust for racing, then my last chance for a Superfinal spot will be in Chelan in July. I was orginally planning on attending the Greece event next month, but have withdrawn from that one as it just wasn't working out to get the time off, and I'd really like to stay closer to home.... Might check out the Rat Race competition earlier in the month....
Monday, May 24, 2010
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