Dave's Day 11 - recap

Yesterday, as Jerzy mentioned, very heavy cirrus covered the sky and we had to work with weak thermals and low altitudes.  As you can see from the barograph trace, it was a low day that became even weaker and lower as the cirrus started to block the sun.

I had a few low saves and then just before the second turnpoint, I had a weak climb with a gaggle.  We were averaging less than 2 kts and I elected to leave that thermal and go a few km into the turnpoint and then to a cloud about 1/2 km beyond the zone.  It looked like a good cloud and I expected to get at least 2 kt, but found nothing. From there, after searching under 5 more clouds, I found myself too low and with no other option but to land.

The worst part is, the gaggle made it home.  I looked at one of the traces and that pilot flew back to the same thermal, averaged less than 1 kt and spent 7 minutes climbing in the dying thermal.  However, the moral here is that it is better to get home slowly, than not at all!