July 23rd (Brett)

Today was extremely interesting on a number of fronts.
We arrived at briefing at 10am with cu's popping and gliders watered and ready to go. It turned out that contest management had decided that team captains would have a briefing at 9:45 and the pilot briefing would now start at 10:15 each day. Also all the task sheets are given to the team captains at this earlier meeting. Unfortunately our team captain doesn't arrive until tonight. We still do not have maps of the task area as that is in the information pack that management will only give when the captain registers the team. Nobodies fault but we must ensure the team captain arrives at the same time as the pilots in future.
The day looked excellent but there was a frontal systemt expected from the east mid afternoon so a 2.5 hour AAT was set.
The grid was still all classes mixed, and had 148 gliders on it. There were only 7 tow planes! I was about number 135 to be launched so if you do the maths I had to wait my my tug to do about 19 aerotows before it was my turn.
I finally got started a little before 2pm but it was always going to be too late. A blinding first leg downwind without turning and then life got a little more difficult on the second leg. I could not penetrate the second circle as the were no climbs to be had in the area by time I got there, and I turned for home early into the second circle with the prospect of an active front to negotiate to get home. I climbed to 1600ft over final glide altitude before penetrating the frontal system. Heavy rain & some hail and I came out the other side with 800ft surplus. However there was a classic CB behind it so I deviated to the leading edge and got through it with lots of excitement (thought the canopy might break with the rain/hail at 120 kts) which resulted a 2600ft surplus (MC 3) with some 30km to run. Leszno reported  a thunderstorm overhead with strong winds & rain and I needed all of that 2600ft surplus as I came in at a 19:1 glide and did not touch the airbrakes at all.
So I was slow but grateful to get home at all.
A Tyskie never tasted so good.