Stephen Ell has emailed in his howidunnit from the exhausting Day 4. Most pilots were airborne for around 7 hours. Most ended up landing in fields in the dying minutes of the day - mainly scattered along the last leg.

'The local pre-start weather didn’t develop as forecast and many pilots started early for very good reasons (long task, imperfect weather). I was struggling so I dropped some water to climb up with the last starters and went for the line.

On track, the distant clouds looked better and higher and the gliders ahead pushed on at great speed (wish I’d kept the water now) and I quickly lost sight of them approaching Northampton. Suddenly it seemed darker and there was a lot more spreadout so I slowed down to think. I didn’t find much lift in and out of Thrapston (TP1) and found myself at 1000 feet near Rushden before contacting a half knot climb. I took 3 or 4 weak climbs between 1000 and 2000 feet, each time drifting downwind during the climb and dropping more water before the next climb.

Around Newport Pagnell I joined an LS8 that was shooting skywards like a homesick angel. It was the beginning of a strong cloud street that led us to some good clouds North of Newbury South (TP2). Ed Johnson (G9) and Phil Jones (210) were high above me. Gary Stingemore (in X1), who started after me, passed me going the other way like he was on fire!

After the turn I went more or less on track, but G9, 210 and X1 had cloaked and I lost the comfort of gliders turning ahead. Nearing Finmere (TP3) I fixed my sights on a glider turning tightly and gave chase. He was hard to catch and I kept losing sight of him. Also, I wasn’t sure whether to go for the sun directly on track, or stay under the claggy-looking clouds. I decided to try the clouds (more by instinct than logic) and was reassured by the sight of a glider pulling up in the distance. I reached the same height as him near Chipping Norton. It was Phil Jones in 210. I set off for the next cloud thinking Phil was with me, but when I turned the EB28 (Glider 13) de-cloaked like a Warbird on the opposite side of the thermal. We split at cloudbase and I had 100 feet in hand on MacCready 1 for Aston Down. There were wispy bits of cloud on the way back. Wave rotor clouds or dying thermals? I dunno, but they gave me reduced sink & occasional lift that allowed me to eek out the glide to 600 feet in hand at 10km on MacCready 1. A bit of luck there, I think. Others landed only a few km short (again).'

Stephen achieved 95.3kph. Allan Tribe was second (449.6k) and Matt Cook was third having flown 448.9k. All pilots received (the last of the) bottled beer from Stroud Brewery, with Allan and Stephen receiving glider batteries from J.E. Clarke Motor Factors. Many thanks to our prize sponsors.

Matt has emailed in his Howidunnit from Day 3

'Started fairly late - ran a nice line down the first leg getting good pulls and running around 2500. Didn’t get the climb needed to run off the end which left me skirting around Silverstone and then climbing in 2 knots from 900 feet from Buckingham. 2000 feet there - pushed low round BLY, finally hooked 4 knots to 3200 which was basically base.
Fair run into a climb just short of OUN - back to base and round - then went south to contact good runs and reasonable climbs up until Risington area - where I took a weaker climb to base as a long glide looked on into deteriorating conditions - crossing the gap I hooked into some shear wave from the approaching front - climbed at a steady 3 knots to 5200 on the QNH which after penetrating cloud saw me arrive around 15k from CME at 1700' feet - 1.5 knots to 2500 in the Severn affected air meant I could glide into sector and hookup with the low Severn air convergence line which was running off toward Nyms - waffled along this until I was 45 degrees off track and 128 feet over glide on 2 knot MC - thus reducing the headwind component and crept in at 80 knots.

Didn't see anybody else the whole flight - just some we passed over when leaving the wave!'

For this Matt was presented with bottled beer from Stroud Brewery, a glider battery from J.E. Clarke Motor Factors, a meal for two at The Butchers Arms, Oakridge and a HUGE keg of beer from England's Strongest man. Many thanks to our prize sponsors.

Hectic tent de-rigging is well underway ahead of the next weather installment. Cloudbase is getting lower and the clouds darker.

The bar is now open, you don't have to have tea.

...is currently 13. And there goes the phone again.

They're obviously not giving up without a fight. Two more drop-ins - Rachel Hine in LS4 and another one from Nympsfield.

Word about the excellent refreshments is spreading and today has so far lured 4 flying visitors from Nympsfield and competition sponsor Russ Clarke to visit. One of the Nym pilots had brought Russ's old LS6. Very thoughtful.

Afandi and Jane have dropped in too on the way home from a jaunt-ette round North Wales. We immediately employed Afandi's aerodynamics expertise to help prevent the gazebo from taking off.

It hasn't got much warmer. We're now up to 6 land outs (latest are R6 and LT). It's sunny. The tea and cake is delicious.

630
CH
X27

The competition team have been able to relax (a bit), eat lunch, edit and upload pictures for you to look at and we were about to relax some more... then the phone rang. 634 has landed out.

Gary Stingemore won Day 2 with a speed of 71.4kph and scoring 227 points.

'Climbing up pre-start showers to the east were building in a line that looked as if it would effect our first leg. I decided to start after the main pack as I thought they would come to a halt somewhere or we would all land out.

The new 20km ‘D’ sectors worked well as I clipped the north end of the 1st turn about 18km from the turn, I then decided to stay in the good air well to the north and about 80 degrees off track, eventually coming into the 2nd turn from the west, totally the wrong direction but staying in the good weather. The 3rd turn was still in the stormy area so again going well off track to the north and for a time NW to stay in the good, soarable conditions. Staying high into the 3rd and last turn, and going between two active storms I turned at 3000’ in the rain and managed to get back to the soarable conditions at 2000’ overhead Pitsford , where I eventually climbed to 6500’ in cloud.

The flight home was steady but unspectacular progress into the wind and dying conditions, the sea air caused problems getting back into Aston Down with lowering cloud bases which left an unpleasant 30km final glide just scraping in over the hedge.

I took 3 cloud climbs altogether. I’m not sure if they helped a great deal – but they certainly didn’t hinder.

Unfortunately for me a large proportion of the main pack landed just short of ‘Y’ which dramatically reduced the points for the day….bummer!'

Gary's prizes were a meal for two at The Ram at Bussage, a glider battery from J.E. Clarke, Motor factors and bottled beer from Stroud Brewery. Many thanks to out local sponsors for the prizes.