Finally a big task. Three hours Assigned Area task (AAT) to the wild unlandable north. The task setting here is a big strange, they like to have lots of turn points for some reason, but no point getting stressed out about it.
We make a good late start in the nick of time to get through a light shower and have a really good run into the first sector, making 65kph into 24 knots headwind, that's about 105kph taking wind into account. Cloudbase is impressive 6000+ and we don't even look at the huge forests below and lack of fields.
The run into the second sector, Sala, is a bit tricky and we divert south and take the back end of the sector, then clip the third, northern sector and head for home.
Lots of gliders about, including many Standards class glider and EA who started 6 minutes after us, but in AAT you have no idea where people have been.
Last leg is 95 km. Cloudbase is still high and 50km away from home I have enough height to get back and 1000 feet spare. However, big shower ahead blocking my way. Fran in the Standards is ahead and reporting a gap in the shower, she is now safely through. I can't see any gap and divert to the leading edge of the shower to the east. Liz didn't get the same climb and is now 1000 feet below me.
The shower is moving rapidly to the east. I take a safety climb in 2kts which puts me at 1000 feet above glide home and only 15km to go. This should be in the bag now. I glide through the leading edge of the shower, initially there is good lift but then i hit the downside of the shower and I go down like a brick.
Suddenly I am down to 1200 feet and 10km still to go. The sink is horrendous, off the clock. Frantically picking fields below, i will not go very far in this sink.
I turn left, further east to try and get under the leading edge again. Now i am over the sea! Suddenly a kick, and i get into a wonderful, competition saving, 5kts climb. I take it up to 3000 feet, not trusting the conditions, then glide home under the developing street. I can't shake off the height, the lift is to strong and rough and i dare not fly at more than 80 knots.
I end up over the airfield still at 3000 feet but at least i am back. Liz didn't make it through the shower and landed out 3km away from the finish.
Showers can be a lottery. Yes, there are things you can do to minimize the risk but ultimately, 5 minutes either way can mean the different between a day win and a competition disaster. You pay heavy price for landing out as you don't get any speed points.
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