Rat Race Sprint Day 6 (Task 5) - JK

It was active on launch with wind blowing up from all directions and dust devils (dusties) spawned regularly during prep. The task started over launch with an exit cylinder, NW to Burnt, back to Woodrat (WR), Burnt again, then NNE to Cemetery and goal ESE from there at Donato LZ. The start was staggered with 15 minute spacing (1400/1415/1430).

The dusties told everyone it was going to be active air. Prior to the start window, one pilot got a frontal, then a cravat, and was stuck in a high-g spiral and threw her reserve. She was high (near 6K) and landed safely just south and below WR Peak on the front side. Another pilot in the Race had a similar issue with his 2-line comp glider. He threw out his "laundry" and landed in a clearing among heavy trees and right near the road for a quick retrieve. Fortunately, he was fine too.

I launched about 30 minutes prior to the first gate time, going straight up and high with the gaggle. I kept Alex in sight and went to Burnt with him. From there, we tagged the point, tanked up and got back to WR Peak and back without any problems. Now it was time to get as high as possible and plan the leg to Cemetery. But I lost track of Alex...

I had about 5800'. After seeing quite a few set off with less than that, I left myself. I was interested in using them for lift markers (pimping them). Previous unsuccessful crossings to Rabies taught me that if sink is too strong for too long, it's often better to turn back to known lift, recover altitude and reassess. That was the plan. I got sustained sink and no one ahead found lift, so at 4500', I turned back.

I arrived back at Burnt at just 3200' (600 feet below launch altitude). There was no lift there, so I drove for WR mid launch as a last option before accepting defeat and turning into Hunter LZ. I found a good strong thermal in the valley prior to mid launch. I took it to 6500' over WR launch and shot back over to Burnt. Small thermals ther kept me up but didn't give the boost I needed. Further along the ridge and below, there was a gaggle of Race pilots in a good strong one. I joined them as they were climbing through my altitude. It was the lead gaggle passing through on their longer task. We climbed above 7000' and after topping out I followed them on glide, hoping to have a marker or find some boaty air. Their next turn point was about 30 degrees left of my course to Cemetery so I wasn't planning to stay with them for long. I gained nothing on glide, but was able to see how their gliders out performed mine in both speed and glide ratio. I peeled right after 6 or 7 minutes and went for my point - alone.

My course line went NE toward Medford leaving the mountains and big valleys for foothills and and dales. I didn't find any thermals along the way or the allusive boaty line, but no big sink either. I got to Cemetery with OK altitude. With no obvious trigger points in the rolling terrain and no other gliders below in lift, I stayed on course. The small valleys offered some buoyancy and some lift, but it was weak. Eventually, a Race pilot showed up and made three turns with me in my anemic thermal. Not worth his time, he left below me and I followed. I couldn't match his glide ratio and despite my higher altitude, he got out of the valley, and I sunk out in a field near the road.

Four retrieve vehicles stopped as I packed up my wing. They were on their way to goal to pick up the finishers. I ended up in the Lion's bread truck driven by a nice old guy named Chuck (the Chuck Wagon). The only seat was his and riding in the back was like riding in a shipping container. We went to Donato LZ and everyone there was slapping high fives and celebrating their success. It was especially great to see Alex in that group, having had perhaps his best ever Rat Race task. I only wish I could have left with his gaggle from Burnt the first time to see how he did it. It was a great Rat Race moment!

I learned that it is sometimes better to go back on a bid for a TP that's not going well. Of course, the BEST option is to leave for the next TP with altitude enough to offer multiple options to go with a gaggle to mark the lift ahead. Also, if low and in minimal lift, it's better than no lift. Never leave lift to find lift unless you know something stronger is within reach. Be more patient and work what you have as long as possible. It can strengthen and can buy time assessing the situation.

One note: When I aborted my first attempt at Cemetery, I went all the way back to launch to get well. This was my 3rd time back. Remember that this was a staggered start (1400/1415/1430). As long as I left launch after 1415, I could have reestablished my start time, essentially making my first time to Burnt just pre-start maneuvering. But... since I didn't make goal, this is a mute point, since time points only count when completing the distance (making goal).

Flight Info - Day 6 - Task 5