It was a flying day today, though only a short task was deemed be possible due to the forecast. Task setter Paul had set a cunning short DHT task of Edgehill - Shipston - Silverstone, so that people could pop upwind and dive back in to the airfield if it all turned to worms. DHT (distance handicapped tasks) are the new tasks introduced last year. Every glider gets their own task calculated to their individual handicap, and this seems to work quite well both in terms of people getting round, and also for having gliders out on track at the same time. Of course the scoring is a bit more fiddly, and has an extra step! Graham went sniffing first to assess the conditions.
Up at the grid, everyone was getting ready, and the decision to launch was given. If you look at the photos from the grid you'll notice the sky getting greyer and less soarable, but thankfully everyone got away before start was called.
The task was well judged, many of the gliders got round, and many did part of the task then retreated to the airfield so landouts were minimised. Scoring was not quite so straightforward, and we found a couple of issues with the scoring script, and a quirk on the DHT scoring. Poor Paul - having spent all morning task setting - spent most of the afternoon & evening helping me sort out the scores. Meanwhile Lucy organised a 'Country games' in the hangar for the competitors, followed by a fish & chip supper. Gordon Craig won the day in his LS4. Everyone seems happy and we're hoping for a decent day tomorrow....