Not that I'm suspicious or anything but every time we've made a last minute trip to Nympsfield and there has been rain on the journey up we've ended up having an great day. Well this time heavy sleet cascaded from the heavens as I left home to meet up with 230 Pete and JB on our next Nym adventure. It was going to be epic!
Rigged and ready by 10 but we still joined the back of the grid. Nympsfielders, seem to chuck their wings on and then rush to get their gliders on the grid before taping the seams and finishing their DI's, Germans and sun loungers spring to mind! The wind was howling and as butterflies couldn't cope with the gale they seemed to take refuge in our stomachs. Watching the first gliders go off you couldn't really blame them. The launches were sporting to say the least with the winch driver trying his best to account for the gusty wind gradient.
The view South West from over Avonmouth
We had declared a double out and return from Nym to Bath and with the wind howling at 260/25-35 kts. It was an easy jaunt down to Bath and back. By lunch time and with the task almost completed the sky was looking awesome, cloud base was nearly 5000' QNH and great streets lined up across the Severn estuary and into Wales. The North Hill massive finished the task and left the other Nym pilots who were still collecting ridge turnpoints to go and explore these empty streets. 230 Pete has long imagined turning the Severn Bridge turn-point and made that his next mission.
I convinced JB that we should try and claim the million cheesy grin points by going to soar the Talgarth ridges. Despite the mega headwind we made it to Abegevenny and with Talgarth tantalisingly close the proliferation of showers gave us pause. JB jumped to a black as Hades street to the north, hooked into another 5 knot climb up to almost 5500' topping out as hail started to fall on him. I was following about 5 minutes behind and arrived low into the hail and not a lot of lift. I turned downwind to search the edge of the shadow and soon felt that reassuring kick in the pants. Dodging the rest of the showers we were soon back at Nym and enjoying tea and Ridge Runners cake made especially by Trevor's better half. A brilliant day in the company of good friends, definitely epic.
And here it is - turnpoint SEV
I convinced JB that we should try and claim the million cheesy grin points by going to soar the Talgarth ridges. Despite the mega headwind we made it to Abegevenny and with Talgarth tantalisingly close the proliferation of showers gave us pause. JB jumped to a black as Hades street to the north, hooked into another 5 knot climb up to almost 5500' topping out as hail started to fall on him. I was following about 5 minutes behind and arrived low into the hail and not a lot of lift. I turned downwind to search the edge of the shadow and soon felt that reassuring kick in the pants. Dodging the rest of the showers we were soon back at Nym and enjoying tea and Ridge Runners cake made especially by Trevor's better half. A brilliant day in the company of good friends, definitely epic.
De-rigging in snow showers
M5 Matt
