We arrived at a launch packed with gliders still on the ground despite the good looking conditions. Apparently it was gusty earlier but improving. Brooks suited up and took his new Sensor for its maiden flight. I weaved my glider through the maze of Dacron to Brooks' former spot and started tossing battens into the sail.
The gusts were increasing as Peter J took off and cruised around launch. He started climbing well as we spotted Brooks near cloud base heading across the valley. Jeff C was up next and waited for a mellow cycle which showed up just as Peter was sinking. Peter recommended that Jeff stay on the ground until the sinking air had passed. Peter gave the word and Jeff launched. Rodger stepped onto launch as we watched Jeff slowly sink out into the unforgiving bailout LZ below. Jeff got worked over on approach and that put the brakes on everyone's desire to launch. The building gust cycles and increasingly cross wind weren't helping either. Eventually Rodger backed off launch, Gary drove down to fetch Jeff, and we watched Peter and Brooks get banged around on their approaches further down the valley much later.
We waited for the day to die back a bit which it seemed to do around 4:30 PM. Art launched and I followed. Art joked earlier that I would be looking down on him but he was wrong. He climbed and headed down the ridge even before I launched. I chased after him along the ridge but gave up when a nasty thermal slapped my side wires and then threw me towards the ridge. After some more thrashing I realized the moderately strong wind was blowing almost 90 degrees across the ridge, shredding the thermals into rolling parcels of "whoop ass".
It wasn't pleasant but there were tolerable spots such as circling up in thermals above the ridge. I watched each pilot launch, make a few passes in front of launch, and then quickly dart down the ridge to avoid landing in the bailout LZ and suffer Jeff's fate!
John got on the radio and announced he wasn't having fun. I wasn't either, but I surely didn't want to land in this stuff. John decided he had enough and was going to land in the biggest field in the valley. He was tossed about and got trashed on approach. That was enough encouragement for me to stay airborne and hope an evening glass-off would smooth things out before I had to land.
The air did mellow enough for Brian, Doug, and I to explore the ridge line as we slowly plowed upwind between climbs. Doug eventually headed out to the mini-golf course to land and Brian headed towards John's mega-field a short time later. John commented that the tree tops were not shaking around as much but quickly appended amended his evaluation as Brian practiced full-body weight-shift control on final approach. That was enough to convince me to take another climb!
I noticed the wind lines on the lakes were less pronounced as the valley fell into the shadow of Mount Greylock. I also noticed widespread lift as the valley started to lift off as the katabatic flow on the shaded side pushed the warmer air up on the sunny side. It was time to land. I found some slightly sinking air on the shaded side of the valley and had an uneventful landing in the same field as Brian and John.
I had just moved my glider out of the hayfield when we spotted someone walking our way. I greeted the person who identified himself as the owner. I apologized for landing in the knee-high hayfield. He stated it was going to "cost me" a hundred dollars. I apologized again. He said not to feel bad because he was going to get his money. Gulp. He then cracked a smile and asked if he had me worried. Dang straight he did. We all shared a good laugh at my expense. John, the owner, talked with Gary, John B, and Brian as I packed up. Rodger stopped by and said he and Art landed a few miles down the ridge. The folks that farm the property also stopped by to check on everyone as I was finishing up. We said goodbye and loaded up. Gary was kind enough to shuttle us back to our vehicles before joining us for dinner at the pub in town.
Flights: 1, Duration: 2:20, Distance: 5 miles
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