Alphen aan den Rijn      June 1  2009     blog 202

 The meteorological summer starts  and in most parts of Europe with a  real summer day. We enjoy 25 dgr. today  in Holland and a NNE wind [4/5] . Spring 2009 here was good the second best ever, with an average temperature of 10.8 dgr.Only one minus point in spring the very severe wind- hail -and thunderstorm one week ago, a once-in-5/ 10-years-phenomena.But that was 2 days, so who cares! The insurances, …maybe???!!!

Those 2 days were also the non flying days at Terlet, during the Nationals. Out of 11 days, with day one counting only in one class [combi] due to the fact that in the other classes nobody flew the amount of kilometers to make it a competition-day, the comps counted 8/9 days.
And what competition this was!!!! Wow!!! I told you already that Dutch nationals are European level and with such great weather even world level.
I take you through the last and very exiting, even thrilling day!

In club class young under 25 Patrick  was number 1 over all, on the beginning of the last day and on every other day! Bas Krebbers was 2 and Bas Brouwer 3. Patrick had a good lead ,so only in the case of an unexpected out-landing he would not be the Dutch Champion. I had just arrived when I heard that Bas B. had landed out after 85 km. Poor Bas , he was so happy with his good ranking. Tension was growing. Bart Berendsen , one of my Hus Bos juniors, was back early after a good race ,but Bas K. came low and really had to struggle and fight to come back home. But….he made it , arriving home as the last pilot of these wonderful comps in Holland. He lost his 2d place to Bart but was 3d. and very pleased with that.[look at the picture on www.zweefportaal.nl]
I expect a lot from Patrick in Finland during the JWGC!!!!!!He won with 6800 points before runner up Bart [6255] and Bas [6097].

In the combi class the beginning of the comps was ruled by Steven Raimond, the former European Champion. He also won the last day with a speed of 115 km/h over 315 km, but on day 5 , he had a bad day ,loosing more then 600 points. This can happen also to the best! Before the last flying day , 5 from the 6 pilots in the top 1-6 were young ones. Mark Leeuwenburg was 1, Peter Millenaar 2 , Jeroen Verkuijl 3d , [he is a tiny little bit older, flies WGC and EGC] then Robbie, Alfred-Paul and Jelmer, all top junior or former junior pilots for the Dutch team. In the end Peter Millenaar , who flies the JWGC in Finland was the proud Dutch National Champion, Mark , I think he won last year, became runner up only 18 points short and Alfred Paul, who once won the junior comps in Holland and as a present received cross country training with Ingo Renner in Australia during the Outback Shootout at Tocumwal was a  good 3d!
So 2 young under 25 , Dutch National Champions will fly in Rayskala!

In the 18 m. class current European champion Ronald Termaat  was number ONE over all, from the beginning of the comps till the end, winning the last day in style ,finishing together with runner up Sicco Vermeer with a nice speed finish. In this class Hadriaan van Nes was 3d. It was great to see Sicco back in the Nationals. After 1991 when he flew the WGC in Uvalde he kept flying but also concentrated on his job and family. When the Amsterdamsche Club for Gliding bought recently a new ASG 29 sx, Sicco mentioned he would like to fly the Nationals once again with that glider, so he did and received a 2d prize cup .
Ronald has to pack his suitcase straight away again ,as he will fly the World Air Games in Torino[Italy] next week , with in my eyes Sebastian Kawa as his biggest concurrent.

Last but not least the open class!!  Even in this class a lot was possible on the last day! Peter Batenburg won the last day with a speed of 117.9 km/h over 354 km. and with that he won the Nationals, passing Francois Jeremiasse who became 2d, Mark Weering was 3d. Mark flies at Lasham as he lives in the UK, but is a real “clockie”!
 The father-son combination Frits and Bas tried hard to win , to make Frits a proud winner again after 50 years , but unfortunately that did not happen. They ended up as number 4.

So far the Dutch Nationals, the French finished  their comps for 15 m. open and dual seater class too, with Didier Hauss as winner in the 15 m class and Sylvain Gerbaud in open class. They had 6 out of 8 days with in 15 m class only once a task over 400 km, in open class only once over  500 km.[519] and in the two-seater class a distance of 414 as longest task.
Yesterday was world wide a great soaring day not only in Holland where Baer Selen flew over 500 km but also in Morocco,where several European pilots as Alvaro, from Spain and Pierre from Belgium flew a 1000 km task.from Quarzaztee. To be honest a place I had not yet heard from, so I do some investigations. Another top pilot from Belgium Baudouin Litt flew in the USA a 1000 km task.

Breaking news; The NOTAM for the CIM in Rieti is cancelled!!!!So after the G8 meeting the CIM can fly in all areas!!Look for the latest at www.rietigliding.it
Also breaking but maybe sad news ; an Airbus 330 from Air France with 220 passengers including 12 crew has disappeared from the radar this morning . The airliner flew from Rio de Janeiro [Brasil] to Paris[France], where it was expected at 11.00 AM this morning local time.  No news yet! A huge worry!!!!

That’s it for today. Sorry a bit much about the Dutch Nationals but it is always great to follow a comps AT the spot and in this case , it was a real to a climax growing competition, so nice to share with all of you!

cheers Ritz
ritzdeluy@hotmail.com