As has been the way recently Good Friday and Saturday were late to get going but when they did there was lovely fluffy cumulus over Shalbourne. Friday was forecast as marginal but turned out much better than that. I went up to Bicester via North Swindon for just shy of 200km and 185 and R3 visiting from Keevil did West-East tasks of about the same.
Saturday was forecast as a much better day and indeed it was. I had tasked a double out and return to the Northampton area but a blue sky beyond Bicester got my blueophobia going and I turned to follow the clouds down to Aston Down back to Islely and the extending past Rivar to Keevil and back for 305km. Passing Great Bedwyn to Keevil I took a climb to 7072ft above see level, which is about as high as I've climbed in thermal. (and yes the spelling is deliberate as around Keevil into sun the visibility was appalling.) Colin in EEF and Carol'n'Phil in the Janus also went for some cross-country, see the ladder for their adventures.
Colin's tale:
ReplyDeleteHaving spent a sweaty morning ensuring that EEF would not fall out of her trailer on the long trip to Eden, I didn't relish following Pete to All Points North. Instead I decided on the less demanding club 100k (Devizes - Wantage). Gifted with a cracking 5000 ft thermal right of the launch I set off westward topping up at Great Bedwin just to prove it wasn't a fluke. Another boomer just north of Pewsey got me to 5900 ft. Thence off to Devizes at 85 kts. A tempting cloud lured me north of my intended course but rewarded with a 7kt climb. Thence north eastward chasing (and to my amazement keeping up with) a racing gaggle for about 20 K until they disappeared off to the North. A climb just North of Membury gave me enough height to turn Wantage and race for home. The only decision left was how fast to fly, the answer turned out to be Vne as I flew back over the Club House.
Given the day, 1h 12min was not an impressively quick 107k for the LS3, but it sure felt like it to me. See if you can do better. (1h 20 min in the Vega would do it.)