Wednesday no task but good flying

We went up the hill today with a good forecast. Wind dummies launched but unfortunately we discovered strong wind at altitude. The tast was canned and people who wanted to went flying. Not dangerous but not good for a task :-(
tonight a moonlight kayak trip on the lake is planned. With the superb full moon it should be great!

Third day - third task!

Third day of the womens comp. Wind dummies (Jamie Messenger and I) were ordered off early to check conditions. Soon after the launch opened and the sky was full of gliders. 
The weather report said it was going to be a blue day (no clouds) but soon fantastic clouds started forming!
A good and fast race followed with many getting to goal. Wendy had a nice flight but did not make goal, deciding she had had enough for the day and landing back at the camp site after taking the start on time and tagging the first turn point.  
The goal location was superb! We landed next to a lake with a bar serving cold beer and good food. As the task was finished by 2pm (ish) there was lots of time to chill out and swim. 
The forecast looks even better for tomorrow so fingers crossed for some more good flying.  

2nd day Womens comp

Day 2 of the womens comp saw the task starting earlier to avoid the blown out take off conditions. This was tricky as it saw a lot of pilots struggling in the weak conditions, many of them landing. Some managed to maintain on the cliffs and they pushed on to the start. Stony winds from the west soon put most of them on the deck. I had got very low and took a while to get back up to lower ridge height. 
I joined a gaggle of pilots in a scrappy thermal and we climbed for a while then dove for the main ridge. This worked for myself and Judith Mole, the rest landed. 
One girl Nadia on an Advance Omega 8 had a large collapse above me. I looked up and saw something falling from her harness. Was that her reserve parachute? No, it kept falling. Oh my god, it's her head!!! The risers on her glider (the webbing straps that connect the harness to the lines) had twisted and and pulled her helmet clean off!! She flew back to the landing after that!
Not many of the pilots managed to get the start. Most landed soon after and a few managed to get back up, on to the seccod turnpoint and over the back towards goal. No one made goal, the closest being an agonising 1km short. Special mention to the Spanish girl who arived late to take off, hung over, then flew close to goal on a poor performing Nova Rookie!  
In the evening we had an excursion to the local observatory where we watched a superb film on a dome above our heads whilst we were laid back on comfortable arm chairs. Then we had a look through the 40" telescope at the moon and a cluster of thousands of stars....

Sunday- first day of Womens Competition

Today (Sunday) was the first day of the the womens competition. I took off early before the start to check out the conditions and report them back to the organisation. Not long before the planned start time the wind picked up and started blowing hard. The task was stopped because of this. I got bored of waiting and the lure of my sandwich was too much so I landed back on the top again! 
The organisation waited for a while then set the same task again as the wind on take off was decreasing at the time. True to the laws of competition, as the take off window was opened the wind started blowing hard again! It was a difficult take off for all. The wind was too much for Wendy and she did not take off. That was a shame as reports from pilots in the air were that once off the windy launch the flying conditions were good. 
A good race ensued and it was interesting watching from the take off instead of being in the race myself! The coures that was set was in the valley in front of us which enabled a good view of most of the course line. 
The task was won by Kirsty Cameron from the UK. She clinched it by taking a different longer line between turnpoints by flying back to the main ridge and soaring along, not having to stop for thermals. This put her in a great position which she monopolised on to beat Claudia Bungakow into seccond place!
A well deserved win. Kirsty had a Cheshire cat grin in the goal field as this was here first ever task win. 
The forecast for the week is good so I am hoping for some lighter wind and more tasks for the girls. 

In Ager (Spain) for the womens competition

We are in Spain in the Pyrenees for a womens only paragliding competition. Wendy is competing and I am a 'wind dummy' which means I take off to test the conditions before the competition task starts. It's a good deal which means I get lifts up to take off, retreves and a sandwich ;-)
tomorrow (Sunday) is the first day and the weather looks good!!
Wendy is excited and we are looking forward to a fun week.

Last task day Saturday

So, final day of the Portugese PWC competition and the organisation did their best to get us flying. We were driven to the other side of the mountain to a small take off. Conditions were not good so the task was cancelled and the competition finished with three valid tasks. 
The organisation has been teriffic. They are freindly, helpfull, organised and very competant. Top marks and a total oposite to the recent Italian PWC. 
Weather has not been the best, lots of strong northerly winds. That was a shame as the flying we have had has been superb with fast racing tasks.
So we will have an awards ceromony later and hopefully more free beer!!!!!
I have qualified for the Superfinal in Turkey this year. That was a dream goal for the year and I am looking forward to it        . I went to Denizli (location for the final) last year for my first PWC and had an excelent time. 
The Brits are looking like fielding a good number of pilots so it should be a great social event too. Wendy is already looking at flights. 
So Wendy and I will be looking at the weather to decide where to go next. We have a week before we have to be in 
the Spanish Pyrenees at Ager for a week long womens only competition. I do not know if they will even let me fly ;-)
I hope to help the British Women there with any advice and coatching I can provide. I will also be on take off to hold an umbrella over Wendy to keep the sun off (brolly dolly?!!)
Then we have to quickly head off to St Andre in France for the seccond round of the British Championships. I love the location and cannot wait to fly there again and catch up with the British pilots too. 
I love this life ;-)))  

Thursday /Friday update

Thursday we all went up the hill and waited to see if the wind would drop enough to have a task. It did not:-(
Today (Friday) is very windy. We all knew it was not going to be flyable and the locals organised a caprina party at the hotel where the headquarters are. Caprina is a local cocktail with lime. We demolished two large vats in an hour then went back to the campsite for a BBQ and party! More beer, red wine and Malibu was consumed till the early hours when we staggered off to bed!
I had some good news too- the scores for the European tour were announced. This is the cumulative results from the 3 European rounds which includes task dropping. The top 20 in the tour qualify for the superfinal and as I am currently in an excelent 8th place it seems certain I will be going! Qualifying was my dream goal for the year and I am extremely pleased ;-))))))