The European Championships 2008, Day 2

The weather improved a little, and we woke up above cloudbase with a clear blue sky. The cloudbase lifted during the morning, and we got a 105 km task. The forecast was for overdevelopment in the afternoon. I took off early, and mucked around in cloudbase taking photos and enjoying the air. I was actually too relaxed, and did not pay attention to the clock. When the first start gate was getting close I had to fly back outside the 8km start cylinder, I ended up in the rain from the collapsing clouds, and lost a lot of altitude with a wet glider. I got slowly up and took the second start gate, most of the gagle took the first start gate, and I met them coming back from the first TP.

Bjørn Joakimsen and me together after the first TP.

At cloudbase over Greifenburg

The conditions were difficult with the low cloudbase and collapsing clouds, there was OK lift, but it was very broken and quite turbulent if you got below the peaks.

I was stressed, unhappy about my bad start, and did not fly well at all. I made a OK valley crossing, but lost the first thermal when I came over the next ridge. I lost it there, got too impatient and demotivated, and flew along the ridge getting lower and lower and more and more turbulence. Landed about 10 km from the second TP, about halfway through the task. It was overdeveloping rapidly, and the first lightning came just after I had landed.

The task was stopped at 16:10 due to thunder and rainstorms on the course. Speidern made it to goal, but not before the task was stopped. Bjørn Joakimsen landed 10 km behind me, and Olav Lien Olsen in the same area as Bjørn.

My landing field, nice clouds over the ridge in the background, but it was shitty below the peaks.

Landing out, day 2

Powerful clouds a few minutes later…

Forecast for tomorrow is unstable and rain, we might get a short and early task in if we are lucky.