Wednesday 10th

Another Wednesday, another day with a 90 degree cross wind from the east.  This time Colin had promised soaring and soaring we got.  What we didn't get was great vis.  It was one of those days when the higher you climbed the smaller area you could see.
Apparently the day started with a bit of a double act preparing the winch.  It was decided to replace two joins close to each other with just a single join.  Joins replaced and it was found that the drums had been left engage so there was lots of loose cable on the other drum.  In sorting that cable fell off the other drum and the quickest way to sort the tangle was to cut out the new join (I was asked to recount that tale by one of the participants).
Flying did get started shortly before midday and the first 8 flights all enjoyed some soaring (between 26 minutes and 1:56).  Next 7 launches were just circuits and after that most were soaring flights.  After having one of the 7 circuits, off my second launch I made straight for a likely looking cloud over Ham.  The reading on the averager just kept getting better and from 2,000' to 4,000' (cloud base) it never went below 6 and peaked at 7.  After that the averager never got much above 2 up.
Longest flight honours went to Paul McG with 2:04 in the Vega.  With 35 launches we were somewhat behind Sunday's exceptional number of launches but the flying time was more than double that of Sunday's.  If you exclude the longest flight on each day then Wednesday's flying time was 3 time that of Sunday's.
It was also a day for a small gathering of folks who were members many moons ago.  Tony P rejoined after a lapse of about 25 years.  Adam C visited after a similar period away.  He was recently in Poland at the World championships as New Zealand's team captain and now taking time to visit old friends in the UK.  Adam and Colin had fun when Adam went as ballast in the Puchacz when Colin decided that the quickest way to get the Pauchacz to the back of the grid (as nobody was waiting to fly it at that time) was to launch and throw it about.  Adam got his own back in a K13 when he headed for the only cloud on offer competition pilot style.  The other person with a long gap between being a member was Jonty who flew at the club before Tony or Adam's time - but that was done sitting on his father's lap.

Adam C back "home" at Rivar Hill