British PWC pilot Craig Morgan blogs from the Paragliding World Cup 2011 in Turkey.
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Steady start but Lumpy
Task 1 80km.
We needed some normality to return and today’s straightforward 80 k task delivered.
All of today’s timings were sensible and pilots emerged from their rooms fully rested and keen.
The launch winds were light which for me was a godsend . No need for the R11 hokey kokey and its reasonably reassuring when I get airborne with my prosthesis still firmly attached.
Both take offs ( North & South ) launch us into a deep canyon ( herein after called ‘the Gash’ ) according to local law it’s difficult to climb out from low down but today we all hooked lift once airborne.
I shan’t bore you with the painful details of climb and glide, glide and climb. However, a few folk were squawking in the landing field about turbulence. It was choppy in the convergence. Thermals were moving around in the wind and getting beaten up somewhat, but hey – what do you expect.
A couple of people took deflations and there were, I shudder to report, one and a half reserve deployments. A French lass lost control but had a depth of acro experience to try to regain it. However, once it “went negative” she bailed out and lobbed the reserve. She chatted with Nicky Moss on radio about the whys n wherefores on the way down ( that’s calm )
The half a reserve was possibly a phantom deployment that got reported or someone was so embarrassed and unhurt that they packed up and pushed off quick smart. Either way the good news is that injuries totalled – nil.
As usual the final glide sorted the men from the boys. 16k, into wind, lumpy and all the stuff you don’t really aspire to.
As far as I know only a few fluffed it , but had the insurance of hills to the right where they regained sufficient altitude to top up and crawl in. You can’t make that mistake at this level as 20 – 30 hot heads will come ripping past. And so it was.
A rare old tussle between Aljaz Valic and Stef Drouin was decided on lead out points with Aljaz taking the win by 1 point.
Similar(ish) weather tomorrow. More of the same – carry on !!
Competition website
Paragliding World Cup Association
Paragliding World Cup TV (Vimeo)
Craig Morgan is current British Champion: read an interview with him here
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