I should have got further but I think in my eagerness to clear the forestry that is the Dome Valley, I lost my cloud-centric view, instead focusing on the ground and therefore ending up there.
The RASP forecast was good, in fact really good. Strong thermal updraft with little wind shear, thermaling height around 5000ft, a good sea-breeze convergence line stretching for a distance to the North, with light winds.
When conditions are right for Moirs you always get a good turnout of pilots and today was no acception. Apart from the usual suspects, Ken Jackson and Joe Ward were there, I hadn't seen them for a few years.
The RASP indicated a best launch window between 1 and 2 pm, and so it came to pass.
Don, Jeff, Graham, Cam and Wayne were first off around 1320hrs, followed by Nick and Robbo at 1330hrs and then Lisa and myself at 1340hrs, Mike, Eva and Alexey around 1400hrs and late arrival Evan launched another 45 minutes later.
I launched and turned right searching for lift in the NW bowl, which proved fruitful as I was soon climbing and drifting over the back following the other gliders. Approaching Airspace (3500ft) I aimed for the gaggle which was now high up over Dark Summit but I then became indecisive and turned back and then changed my mind again, turning and running for the gaggle. They looked too far away and too high to be of much help so I reassessed what I should do. Picking the sunniest hill facing into the wind I went for it, the ridge running toward Dark Summit.
Arriving lowish (260m agl) I quickly found a thermal and although it was a little rough, I hung in there and carried it for 1000m topping out at 1314m (4300ft just below Airspace 4500ft). Now sitting smack bang under the convergence cloud I turned north and basically glided along in the convergence for about 10 km only losing 100m.
Half-way over the forest I started to become concerned (unnecessarily) about whether I could make it across and spotting a couple of the other gliders to the East and circling high, I decided to head over toward them, effectively losing the lift of the convergence. Arriving well below them and without any indication of lift I started searching in a sunny valley for a ride up, but only scratched a hundred metres from a lot of turning.
Now well clear of the forest I aimed for some freshly ploughed fields that were in the sun, my last gasp, but unfortunately they were not the guaranteed lift I needed. At 200m agl it was time for me to pick my landing field, a grassy paddock between the ploughed fields and the road, and down I went to land.
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