British Paragliding Cup 2010
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Dates: 25th -27th June This year the event returned to be based at the Dalesbridge centre Nr Austwick, within easy reach of many of the Dale best flying sites, and with the prospect of a decent forecast for the weekend entry and attendance was up on the borders round. Day 1 Friday the forecast for the day was for light (5-8mph) winds WSW going WNW through out the day, decent cumulus but weak thermal activity so with this prospect we all trouped of the meet on Wether fell Nr Hawes. In the twenty minutes whilst the task was being set pilots where having a decent fly around in better conditions than expected. Task was set at 11:15am with a 35k Race to Goal task to Marsham keeping everyone over the higher ground, window opened @ 11:30 and a race start of 12:00 pilots where in the air as soon as the window opened. Most spent the time high flying around the valley waiting for the race start, but with 5 minutes to go the thermal activity stopped wind dropped and within minutes before the race start all pilots had top landed. Over the next couple of hours most pilots made several hot and sweaty attempts but where only getting a couple of hundred feet above the hill. With the window close time fast approaching, the task was changed to an elapsed time and the window extended to 16:00 hours, again pilots tried and tried but only a few hundred feet above the hill was possible, Marra made a courageous or maybe desperate attempt over the back/side of the hill and managed a grand distance of 5.35k, just barely past min distance. At 4pm the window closed and every one packed up to go back to the campsite, a few stayed on for half an hour and the wind picked up thermals still weak but the half dozen or so that stayed had possible the best flying of the day for about 40minutes. Day 2 Saturday Briefing at 9am SE winds stronger than the Friday and more thermal activity, reports from local pilot Ed Cleasby who had gone to Semer water take off early to check conditions was that the wind was much to strong and off the hill slightly, we re briefed at 11am and again at 1pm as the weather reports where changing by the hour, Ed had returned by this time but it was still to strong on take off and no one was attempting to launch. At the 1pm briefing it was decided that the day was canned but the organisers expected it to become flyable in the evening and they would continue to monitor it and let pilots know. So it was a day of walking sight seeing and Girly bike rides . At 5pm the sea breeze reached us the wind switched 180 degrees but still to strong. Day 3 Sunday, forecast was for winds to again increase throughout the day, so the previous night the task committee had decided that an early task we needed and probably from Hawkswick, briefing at 9am and everyone on the way to the site within 10minutes. Arrived at the site by 10am only to get reports from take off from local pilots that it was already blowing 20mph gusting to near 30mph, one pilot had taken off a few minutes before we all arrived and was defiantly doing the rockers dance in the air, reports 30 minutes later that the wind had increased to 32mph in the gusts and getting stronger the task was cancelled for the day. You can see the record breaking scores here.
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