Valadares Open day 7

Valadares Open Day 6 & 7

Goal Day 6 with the Brazilian national champion, Frank Brown (no relation!) Took 3rd place on this day after good decision making and fast flying.

Day 7 was the one day where all I had to do was make it to goal and I would have scored in the top 10 for the comp.... this was not to be, however, as conditions were very light and difficult at the start and pilots were scattered all over the place. I ended up not being very decisive with my route and was flying very slowly. I eventually ended up in a large valley system, missing the last thermal to cloud base as the entire area shaded over and the thermals shut down. I had a very easy landing in a nice large field and then was retreived immediately as I reached the highway by a motorcycle taxi. This was an interesting proposition for me as I really wanted to get back to GV, and I was sure it would be hours until the official retrieve showed up, if ever.... The motorcycle seemed sound, and the driver experienced, so the riskiest part of the whole week began on the back of a motorcycle for the half hour ride back to GV.

I dropped out of the top 10 into 14th place for the comp and I am quite happy with this. I took a 2nd, 3rd, and and 8th place finish through the week which was my best performance ever in a comp. I got to know my new glider and am now feeling very confident. I'm very warmed up for the world cup which starts tomorrow.

All the big guns are arriving into town over the past few days. I'm really looking forward to competiting in a world cup event, and the great support and organization which goes along with it. Today is a rest day for the US pilots. I'm not feeling too well so I'm really hoping that I'm not coming down with some sort of bug just as the pwc Brazil begins.... I have to be 100% to even begin to compete with this guys..

Valadares Open Day 6 & 7

Flowering trees are in full blume here and it is quite beautiful

Valadares Open Day 6 & 7

A view from the bus ride up to launch

Valadares Open Day 6 & 7

Fellow US pilots and friends also competing in the Valadares from California, Utah, and Sitka, Alaska....

Day 5 was another challenging day for me as this time my struggles with the glider were not on the ground, but in the air. After missing the start yet once again, I settled onto the course line with just a few other pilots. I was starting to make up some good ground and was just about to catch up with the lead gaggle when I got too aggressive after arriving at cloud base and going on glide. I've been pushing the new glider so that I can find out what the performance limits are. Conditions are pretty mellow here so I've been opening up the trimmers full and going about hafl speed as soon as I'm done climbing and headed out on glide. I was really trying to play catch up and pushed the glider too hard when still under the cloud and kind of rough conditions. The glider frontal stalled strongly and exited with about a 30% crevat on the left side. I was able to counter it ok without stalling the wing but was unable to fish it out with the stabilo or any other lines for that matter. I was forced to stall the glider to get the crevat out and then was back on my way. I lost 3 or 4 hundred feet during the maneuver along with any hope of catching up with the lead gaggle. I hooked up with my good friend BZ from Sitka and we worked our way out to the river after some very low saves and then we both noticed some very menacing weather further down the course line. The task was cancelled at that point and there was no scoring for the day..... By the time we were all packed up a farily strong gust front came through the area, and it poured cats and dogs in Governador Valadares for several hours after.....

The pilot on the left is a seemingly unlikely top pilot - Nikolai Shorokhov - Russian who doesn't even begin to look the part on the ground, -smokes like a chimney.... but becomes amazing when he get's under his Boomerang. He dozen speak goot Englesh but he did give me some nice tips on flying my new glider.....