12 July - Last day of Championship - post-briefing

The Bermuda high has meandered east, and the front lies south of the task area.  It is still throwing a cirrus deck north at 2 PM local, and the forecast is for a blue day by 5 PM as it leaves the task area.

Winds are light and variable to 9,000' with light east-north-easterly light flow at the surface - we're gridded on 08 at 12:30 PM. The cirrus will suppress heating, and we expect the day to begin a little later.  I just looked outside, and the cirrus edge is right overhead; there are a few crappy wisps just in the blue area, no other Cu showing.  The 1000 local Dr Jack/XC Skies forecast shows the cirrus coming much further north than the previous one...  We may change Maxville for FAI to something a bit further north.

Joerg Stieber won the day yesterday in FAI, with a handicapped flight of 224.07 km at 67.65 kph (254.62 km at 76.87 raw), and Pierre Cypihot in Club had an amazing flight of 194.73 km at 62.20 kph handicapped (213.28 km at 68.13 kph raw).  Given that every pilot fell into a hole at least once, requiring perseverance to survive, and the unforecast rapid cycling of an e-w band just south of Pendleton to Montreal Soaring that pilots had to penetrate, these are very good speeds over wet terrain.  Commonly heard "That wasn't easy."

There are longer flights on the Online Contest - but flying a pre-declared task, where you must make the best of what is there, is infinitely more difficult - and rewarding, particularly if you finish.  There are many days at this contest where no one would have taken their gliders out of the trailer if they hadn't had to fly the contest.

Dr Jack says average 4 knots to 4,000 rising to 5,000.  We have set MAT tasks, 3 hour minimums, for FAI and Club.  FAI is off first today.

Next big event is the dinner - 7 gathering, for a 7:30 pm sit-down.

We'll announce task changes, and the tracker will show the flights, but we will not be announcing results until after the banquet - probably Saturday morning (not too early).  We expect both FAI and Club to get minimum distance today, which would mean FAI gets a contest in, and Club doesn't (3 days, 4 needed).  A visitor to the contest from another club was overheard to say "I was going to take up golf, but it wasn't frustrating enough, so I took up gliding instead."

FAI:

Club: