| Flight details: | After tandems in light wafty conditions with thickening overcast, the sea breeze arrived. But I wanted to fly xc, so I left the social club in the grass and bailed off the ridge to look for the Most Unlikely Thermal. The most likely place to find such was in the sheltered neck behind the Dyke against Newtimber; the last place the seabreeze would get to, and also where, if it indeed sneaked over past the pub it would be focused down the Dyke itself and onto the hill.
But with not enough height to safely clear the village I had to land, walk up and relaunch. Almost got to the thermal the seagulls were cranking up in, exactly where I thought it would be. But with not enough height to clear the village I had to land .. err, why do I feel this story isn't going anywhere?
The wind had shifted NW again, so I walked back up to the Dyke, where the social club was still in session, but I wanted to fly xc...
Scooted around to the seagull thermal in the neck, got it this time. Slow loops in 1m/s for ages, until I topped out and went on glide. I tried to follow the seabreeze convergence, tricky to do on feel alone with no cu to show the line.
Drifted to Mount Caburn holding on to scrappy edge of convergence, then decided to try for more lift over the edge of town (all those buildings and tar, there's gotta be something), got drilled pushing into wind, ended up on the White Cliff which was serving up Mr Whippy. The seagulls and I shared a standard cone no flake.
Held onto that one till Glynde, then took a line that followed the railway downwind (shoulda gone inland more to avoid seabreeze). Landed with strong SW pushing in. It got me, but I'd ridden it for a while. 1 hr walk to Berwick station, train to Brighton, bus to Dyke. Sweet! |
