A 90 or so km task set again into the Constriction valley to goal in ClenWilliams.
My narrative will be brief - it was not my most shining performance!
After a meagre 26km, landing before crossing the ridge, I had had yet another bad start this week. The 7th and worst start of the week.
Getting stuck on the ridge before take off, leaving my thermal at the wrong moment and dropping out of the sky, I had to frantically find lift on the windy take off ridge or out in the flats. Together with a handful of other pilots equally stumped for options, after almost 20 mins of no out the front activity, I surfed the take off ridge for the last time before heading out to the flats.
Realising that the race was over for me, with little choice but to fly my own flight for the rest of the afternoon, I "dolphined" my way some 26km through the start gate, to the first and second TP and to the Pass.
Landing right there, it was "game over" for me.
The leaders had made it in 2.5hrs, first man in today was the Frenchman, Julien Wurtz, first woman was the unbeatable Nicole Fedele.
Overall winner: André Rainsford from South Africa, an over all Female winner Nicole Fedele.
First Team was the Ozone Team.
Having reached goal twice in the three good tasks we had been set, my overall position was not too bad for the start of the season and I settled for a satisfactory 5th Place Overall Female Podium and 3rd Place Team event with ABAC/Niviuk.
Onto Cape Town now for a few days of relaxing before heading back to Europe, home and my family.
A special thank you to Steve Senior for his continued love and support, to my son for looking after my dog, Gin'T in my absence, and to my daughter who recently passed her riving test theory exam.
South Africa has been an eye opening experience and a "tick" in the book of worldwide paragliding sites to fly.
No comments:
Post a Comment