This October’s ALES contest had wind, cold, and rain with flyers trying to find what they can to stay in the air.
Wayne W.
Hi fliers,
It was a cold cloudy day, with light breezes, and rain at the end, but we got the October ALES contest in after all.
Originally preempted by the Gateway Open, we went forward anyway when the GO was cancelled due to the weather. (next year’s GO will be in June.)
The guys started gathering around 10am, with Mark, Brendan, Dave, Rich, and myself braving the cold. After a slight delay for a nature call, we got going right after 11:00.
First time out of the gate, I found a wave over the SE corner of the field and rode it out for an 8:47/50.
Brendan pulled out his Volo light for the remaining rounds and we continued. I found air in the same location again but it gave out. I did find a bubble over Peruque Creek Rd and took it downwind to make time. Brendan tried to follow but came up short. Still, for a cloudy day, I was amazed at the lift available.
Round three found everyone scratching as a big sinkhole came through. Rich managed to scratch out an extra 20 seconds to take the round. I managed to hang close for a respectable score.
As we were walking out for the last round Rich said he felt a sprinkle. So did I. I managed to work a couple of bubbles up to a good height to make time. Brendan gave it a good try but didn’t find enough. It was raining pretty good when I landed so I decided that it was time to pack it in. 4 rounds was all she wrote today.
After I looked at the final results I felt good to have managed to consistently find good air on a day like today. The 48oz Berkut has been very good to me this year.
Here are the final standings:
Wish we had had more fliers out but I understand why. It really was cold.
