Although the day looked better than day 5, I was convinced it would explode into thunderstorms again. However, I thought the storms might develop later which would give us enough time to fly away from the greatest probability of storms.
The task committee set out to "hurt us" with a long 197.7 km (123 mile) task west-northwest to an airfield in Andrews and then north-northwest to an airfield near Yoakum.
I wanted to take the first start and made a beeline to the start circle. Of course everyone else was also there darting between the thick quickly-building clouds. Rain started falling to the south of us as the start clock flipped over and we raced away. I'm not a racer at heart, but today was a day to keep the accelerator down. A line of rain developed south of the course line and the southeast drift meant we were racing storms as well as the other pilots. Each look over my shoulder at the rain and gust fronts kept me motivated to fly quickly and efficiently.
I outflew a thunderstorm along the mid-section of the first leg that exploded behind me and threw out a large gust front that was at least 3000 feet (900m) high. The rest of my retrieve crew, John and PK, had to abort the task and run to a safe landing spot.
My attention turned to the rain and small gust front that was approaching the first turn point. Unlike some pilots, I stopped and climbed to base so I could round the turn point high and have plenty altitude to outrun the gust front below. I cruised over the turn point at base and flew over the large area of mesquite and oil wells without loosing altitude.
I was soon flying under a benign sky and realized I was in front of just about everyone. Patrick, and then Bob, caught up with me when I stopped for a weaker climb near Seminole. I was about to head on when I saw Patrick below me doing the "bicycle kick", a sign the task has been stopped. I thought about continuing on to goal but with 38 miles (61 km) to go, I could save my crew a lot of driving if I landed now. Although I was near cloud base, I thought I could easily get down and land at the airport below me before the gust front I left behind reached me.
I soon learned how difficult it is to lose a lot of altitude quickly. I was only half-way down when I realized that I wasn't going to beat the gust front by a comfortable margin. I wore myself out spiraling down and then setting up an approach in twitchy conditions. I was just about at the point in my landing sequence when I could simply walk-out the landing in the breeze along the runway when I was popped up and tossed to the left. Crap. Not the landing I was expecting; a strange and unusual last few seconds.
I picked up my ego and walked over to the tie-down area. I was just about to set my glider down next to the tarmac when Jim yelled, "not there, stickers everywhere". Thanks. I continued a few steps and set the glider down on the asphalt. I watched Patrick land, got out of my harness, and was contemplating moving my glider behind some hangers when it hit.
The gust front dragged our gliders (and carbon base bars) across the asphalt. It was all we could do just to keep them grounded. Luckily for Jim and I, David, Larry, and Tom stopped by and lent us a hand. Bill was on hand to help Patrick. Thank-you David for all the help handling my glider!
Tom, Larry, and David
I did my best to put everything in the bag, I would have to check out potential damage back at the airport. My crew was still back in Andrews, so I tossed on with Bill and Patrick for the ride back to Big Spring. We stopped for dinner at the Texas Cajun Cafe and shared our stories of adventure with a room full of pilots.
With hindsight as a guide, I wish I had continued on to our goal. The pilots that landed there said the conditions were mellow and there were plenty of rides available. In spite of, or because of, the weather, I had an enjoyable day flying the big-air of Texas.
The scores for the day are available on Soaring Spot.
Flights: 1, Duration: 3:08, Distance: 84.8
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