August 7 Report

For the first time in the competition, the day began with a few clouds in the sky. The morning altocumulus and the light wind indicated that the ridge of high pressure is directly upon us. At Briefing we learned that we can expect a shorter day with slightly less heating than yesterday. A mid-level inversion was expected to keep us below 1400 meters. At this competition, we have had two meteorologists, Natalija Anochina and Viktorija Lieguviene. Both have done an excellent job.

Big Al called a 256 km Racing Task of 4 Turn Points. The “steering turn point” at the end of the Task did not have much effect on the final leg.

Launches began at 1330, after a small delay.

A combination of a short towrope and a sudden prop blast resulted in Stefano Ghiorzo (Italy) losing control of his glider on takeoff. He quickly released, and there was no harm done. During the preparation for his second launch, somehow his tracking device was left behind. So those of us on the airfield did not know how he was doing until he flashed across the finish line, ahead of everyone else. His speed of 103 kph made him the winner of the day, with 795 points. His barogram confirms his report that it was a struggle until he reached the forest in the south part of the task area:

Vladas Motuza (Lithuania) had a similar experience and was second across the finish line, earning 783 points. Third place went to Frederic Hoyeau (France), with 636 points.

The southerly wind will return tomorrow, and it will likely be the hottest day of the competition.