RASP had promised to deliver on Saturday. The morning already had good looking cloud dotting the coast and by 10 the Cu deck looked superb with flat bases at 6000'. Lets go!
Loaded up and gassed up we weaved our way up the valley. Rapid conversation filled the cabin fuelled by the hope of really good flying but as the country road took us into the foothills the conversation peetered out. The scenery opened up into the rolling landscape of green pasture, old eucalypts, no traffic, clean air, endless ordered neat rows of muscat, and then the mountain ahead now towering well above the horizon. The day was in perspective. Each passing vineyard was branded with tall and evenly spaced flags, all hanging limp revealing near zero drift. At the bottom of the ascent Rory slowed to engage H4.
We were parked under the towers by noon and in short order Nth Broke launch was chockers: 14 gliders, 14 pilots, plus drivers. The gallery was packed. Can't recall if there's ever been such a crowd on this our most rugged, highest, 3 and 1/2 step cliff launch. Alby, Camo, Gary and Ward were the familiar local faces, Rory and Troy had me in their car, and there was another mob of 4 from the central coast. The crack crew however had already arrived with an air of confidence and bursting with serious talent in all departments. Glen McFarlane, Jonas Lobitz, and Jonathon Kindred, three red-hot operators were joined by Jamie and Kathryn, two contenders for the woman's World Title. This southern contingent were cruising as they went about everything with casual calm, some of whom are here the first time. Not a problem. They had the goods. And while most of us could make a train turn up a dirt track Jamie and Kathryn significantly elevated the aesthetics of the launch by orders of magnitude.
First off was Glen 'Dark Horse' McFarlane setting a course for the spur to the right. The wind was light and the clouds looked great yet lower and lower he went, eventually disappearing around and below the distant point. A couple of minutes ticked over only for him to reappear, extend out a few wingspans and start circling. Soon he would be at cloudbase. Camo did his search and climb without similar heroics, quickly coring a way higher straight out in front. As this thermal poured skyward it claimed all airflow in the viscinity. Immediately the backs of the calves felt cool as the new tailwind reversed direction now coming down T/O and off into the valley below. Waiting for the winds to turn allowed many minutes to watch Glen and Cam thread their way up and over the back. Dave was launch marshall and excitedly announced the good fortunes of the first two in the air. This was the first of the day's battles: You want to go, the lift is right 'there', yet you're handcuffed to the ground until the wind comes around. Then it did.
The Rs has a high aspect ratio and big span yet it's not a problem at all. Jonathon was off straight after me followed by Alby then Jonas. We all found one of several cores flowing up the Broken Back Range and eventually were millng around near cloudbase but not quite there. The air was nice with a little bit of mixing and shear. Glen and Camo remained out of reach and struck out sth, over the back slightly, on their course for home (the central coast) or the beach. The rest of us were already behind and try as we may they drew straight lines, high and fast and away from the rest of us.
With Jon and Jonas we made a good trio while Alby soon split away. Black leading edges dotted the horizon near and not so far and soon it was just myself and Jonas. Jon had meandered and ratcheted up to cloudbase while the three of us struggled to home-in on a squirrely core over Millfield. Jonas and I missed it. Kathryn arrived for a few circles and then headed NE into the valley as if she was on to something. I watched her for a while but lost sight soon after. Jonas and I pulled out the proverbial and caught Gary in a solid climb over Ellalong. We all topped out around 1600m AGL. Someone was low to the SW about 5km away but they were spiralling up in a strong one. This looked like Alby. Glen and Camo and Jon were a long thermal ahead and at cloudbase heading east. We now knew the plan: a run for the coast, probably land at Dixon Park, maybe go for a swim then stroll up to Conrad's for the party.
Jonas and I made up for lost ground. We must have picked good lines and with the light tailwind came in under G, J and Camo over Sandy Creek rd abeam Taylors. We lost Camo here. Decisions were happening much faster. Jonas wasted no time and led out low heading deep into the west side of the Sugarloaf range. Glen, Jon and I did the same albeit with a lot more height but still not enough to get over the ridgeline. We spent a fair bit of altitude diving into the column of airspace above the junction of the three spurs at Mt Vincent launch. The air started to bounce us around as we flew through the boundary of the best thermal al day: 3.5m/s, 700'/min, all the way back up to cloudbase.
The ocean was not far. The Tasman was dotted with ships waiting to be underway for the harbour. The lake was closer off to the right with sail boats huddled at Spears Pt, bows into the wind: NE. Vague whisps darkened the surface but no white caps could be seen. The seabreeze was somewhere in between, a slow moving wedge of cool humid air coming our way. The numbers for a glide right now were not optimistic. The LZ's thin out to slim pickings from here on. One more climb and we'll be towelling-off in Conrad's front yard...
We continued another 5km with a very healthy glide ratio of 17:1. Then we found ourselves dealing with the NE'er and after a search and a few circles in broken lift I felt certain the day was done. I made the last and final search for lift while edging crosswind toward the distant airfield at Wallsend. A number of parks served as back-ups along the way although cricket season was going to restrict options in first and second oval. The last park was empty but also sat in the lee of your standard bunnings warehouse. I watched a flock of ibis circling much lower but they did so with a fair bit of flapping. A few more buoyant patches and Wallsend strip was safe. The windsock told me everything I wanted to know for an uneventful ending to a good flight with good friends and good pilots.
The slow pack-up was interupted to watch an osprey circling overhead in a smooth healthy climb rate. Way off to the south two specks looked not so low continuing to search for a way into the seabreeze. The grass at the airstrip was manicured, bright green, and felt like a cool soft carpet. Troy arrived at the gate 5 minutes before the zipper closed the XC bag.
Glen got to The John Hunter landing about 30 minutes later. Jonas, Jonathon and Camo ended up in the model field at Boolaroo. Alby, Gary and Rory landed in Carmel's, Ward: Ellalong pub. Kathryn and Jamie at Tyrells. All of us made it to Conrad's by 7pm. All looked tired. All were smiling. More than a few of us were keen as to do it all again the next day.
