An Eagle Tale
A weekend of interesting wind forecast (SW then NW) and recent banter on an Eagle WhatsApp chat about soaring St Cyre’s hill, led to Saturday starting with scouting of fields but then realistic appreciation that the day wasn’t going to plan. SW is always an interesting direction for the wind with wavy effects probably from Dartmoor interacting with the ridges around the club both positively and negatively. The big go for broke dash to St Cyre’s in an Eagle was but given up but thanks to Stirling’s help, AXJ got rigged and dragged out to enjoy the drizzle. Moments of brightness beguiled but didn’t deliver and we watched the low cloudbase disrupt as we waited a turn. A rope break at 800ft didn’t help the mood but the ridge was reached at XXX feet and enough height gained to do a circuit. The next launch for AXJ missed the bright gap and with the ridge getting weaker the lower we got the wave effects were definitely negative locally at that moment. A wide wall of rain meant a landing and park up seemed sensible.
So much for a S Westerly… Sunday and N Westerly become an option when for various reasons AXJ got left rigged and Alan R and I played a domestic credit to fly for a second day. With Pete S, Simon M and JB showing up and rigging, the faith in the NW wind being interesting was renewed. Wave again being the joker, from an unexpectedly buoyant ridge (given the wind angle) to the weak climb the ever canny Ron J found in the DG over the solar farm near the M5 Jn27. Ron kindly took two tows with Connor and Dan to coach local wave use.
Five Junior members rigged K6 DRE and all enjoyed some flights, whilst Sally Hender was busy selling raffle tickets to cover K6 running costs.
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| It's not all about a modern fleet (John Pursey) |
AXJ by contrast, hung on to the ridge and until a landing seemed inevitable when a series of weak climbs with Simon and Pete got steadily more solid as the day perked up. Strangely good for a while in band off the ridge, the positive wave influence led to thermals that were quite useable until suddenly they weren’t. Dropping back to a now unreliable ridge we Eagled as low as we dared before landing. With no Eagle to follow Simon had to throw in the towel and land too… Pete who had made it further out earlier eventually dropped back and JB with the heady smell of unleaded and oil cruised a little longer.
More “ridge soaring” followed as the wave cycled and despite the oblique angle on the home ridge, lift could be found above the ridge. All in all a good day for November! - John Pursey
PS welcome back as a DSGC member after a gap of 31 years to Eagle P2, Alan Rappaport!
