Today's task looked fun--a bunch of zig-zags and triangles followed by a long downwind run stopping just beside I-5 between Medford and Ashland. Task distance clocked in at approximately 26 miles.
The sky looked a bit ominous. It was already overdeveloping by the time we arrived at a launch--an hour or so before the launch window would even open. The over development was not the scary towering death-cloud style, it was the big puffy blanket style that shades in entire valleys shutting down all thermal activity.
But conditions like that often break. Clouds dissipate and reform in a cycle. As the shading stops evaporation, the clouds break opening blue sky which heats the ground causing new clouds to form.
As long as the blanket breaks apart the flying can be epic.
Wind dummies showed us that despite the clouds there was some decent lift. I was worried the clouds wouldn't break and people launching late would find a shaded valley and no lift, so I left early.
I timed it poorly and launched into a sink cycle. I discovered an interesting bit of competition psychology: when it was my turn to launch I laid out my wing and even though I could _see_ that it was sinking I felt _obligated_ to launch. I really should have stepped aside and let someone else go. But I didn't.
1/2hr of groveling back up the main ridge to launch height, the clouds started breaking apart and I made it reasonably high. Not to base, but high enough to make a run for the start cylinder. I tagged the cylinder and headed back across the valley to launch. Long grovely-story short--I sunk out to the LZ.
But here's a fun tidbit about the Rat Race--you can launch again! I hopped in the loser-mobile (stuffed with other folks who'd sunk out) and headed back up to launch. At the top I ran into none other than Tim Kuenster and Montana state distance record holder Andy Macrea--both of them relaunching.
Try #2 I tried something 'creative' and headed out over the valley rather than sticking to the ridges. It was a bad bad idea. After touring the 'Rottweiler' field, famous for it's pilot-biting dogs, I slunk into the LZ. Try #2 lasted no more than 5 minutes.
Soo... back into the loser van--this time listening on my radio to Andy and Tim calling back and forth as they headed out on course with Tim eventually reaching goal and Andy landing just short.
Try #3 worked out much better. By this time the sky had opened up. Where it wasn't blue and heating it was filled with happy cumies. It turns out that I like my clouds the way I like my catfish--slightly blackened. Nothing huge or scary, but strong enough to pull me to cloudbase and keep me there. I made my run to the start cylinder, tagged it, and came back low. I scratched the trees for a while, but when I made it back to launch, I stuck myself under a cloud and never came back down--at least not until I ran out of time.
See another funky rule of the Rat Race is that although you can relaunch, they don't score any points after 5:30pm. That means any flying after 5:30pm is just for fun. It doesn't help your score at all.
So I found myself having reached 2 of 6 turn points at 5:15pm. I was still stuck in a cloud, but had no time to finish the course. So I chucked aside all rules of good flying (tank up on altitude, fly the clouds etc...), stuffed the speed bar and went on a death glide through as many turn points as possible. I hit 2 and halfway to a third.
My third try was good enough to place me 42nd out of 100. If I can stay in the top 50 through 3 more tasks, I'll have hit my goal. Wish me luck!
