8.30 AM;
The fore-casted change came through earlier than expected.
Last night we admired the great sunset but we could see as well the change coming from the SW rapidly.
Even Melbourne got smoke yesterday.
Woke up at 2.45 AM from the wind.
This morning it is quiet again with overcast and 25 dgr.C now.
Should be going up to 35 dgr.C.
Off to briefing at 9.30 as due to early leavers , there will be place today in the briefing room and a last day is always some kind of special.
Not everybody thinks so, as I do see a few more pilots pack their glider in the trailer.
Unfortunately nobody has seen the REAL Tocumwal weather these weeks. I can assure you again,it exists!!!!!!
In fact the practice day was the best day with 161 km./h over 331 km.

TASKS HAVE BEEN SET for today the last day of these multi class comps:
open/15 m; 332 km.
15m./st.; 242 km.

9.10 AM:

Whilst waiting for the briefing, the “smoko” is full of stories about weather, gliders ,engines and smoke. Swiss Chris brought for the Saturday- morning-get-together nice cherries out of his own garden.

10 AM:
Briefing is over. They “found” a window to fly in.The full change with started last night at 2.45, will be trough at around 11 AM, but in the afternoon a new layer of high clouds will appear.
So a small window but a window!!
The task setting was difficult as the weather today is very complex.
They deal with smoke, left-overs from dust…there was a dust storm at Mildura yesterday…influences of cool air and a wind from the SW starting with 15 kts but increasing later in the day to 20/25 kts.
At 12 PM they expect 4000 ft. at 1 it should be 5000.
The trigger temperature to reach that is 32 dgr.C.
Shear wave is possible!!!
Thermal strength; 4/5 kts at 1 PM, up to 5/6 at 2 PM.
Great weather briefing by Miles.

10.10:
The weather changes always very quickly here. Overcast is disappearing, maybe wishful thinking..but back again,..it’s hot and not too much wind at the moment.BUT at 11 the wind is more blowing. Took even my bucket away from me.
There should be NO delay with launches, otherwise the A task is not possible in the time frame.

A and B tasks have been set the B task has the same TP’S.

12 PM:
the wind is picking up, the temperature drops a bit but the “die-hard” pilots are on 18 for the last day. BB and MM had to go via the scales and “good old Joergen” had his last day in the middle of the heat and wind at the spot where the gliders leave the tie-down-area to go to the taxi- way’s.
You can only admire him for doing this job during the day’s. He packed the scale and after the scruteneering before the comps and the every-day-job at the scales ,he is off duty now.
TOP JOB DONE!!!!

Andrea and Anton dropped in to have a word and they are going to fly from Monday onward with Lumpy and Sharon.As said they are long time guests here and lovely people.
Brad [Edwards] just left,..they have a long way ahead of them. Distances to attend a competition are often huge here, even up to 3300 k sometimes.

12.15 PM:
2 Tuggies drove out to the field but were told to “go back”. They turned in front of me and are going back to the big hangar.
For the time being??? You see I still have hope, but maybe against “all odds”.

12.45 PM;
No flying yet.It looks a bit better to the SW . I can see trails from airliners flying over ,…so more blue skies here with some high clouds.
The windsock is “in full swing”.

1.30 PM;
They move to the B task ,a 2.45 AAT.
One tug went out for a sniffer flight.Never give up,….it might work.

1.35 PM; all tuggies are going to the strip.

1.45 PM;
A 2d sniffer goes up.
The first one HS mentions lift between 1.0 and 2 kts. He reports wind at the moment 16 kts.

1.55 PM;
2d sniffer reports 1.7 at 2800 ft.

2 PM;
The safety officer Greg;
” The day is CANCELLED. Drop your ropes where you are, they will be picked up from the grid“!
A pity but it is at it is.
We know the Champions in all classes now and I know already that the trophies have been polished.

18 m.class;
1. John Buchanan in JS 3 4.256 points… AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION.
2. Peter Temple in ASG 29 with 4.241 p.
3. Don Woodward in ASG 29 with 4.157 p.

Standard class;
1. Michael Durrant in LS 8 with 3.729 points..Australian Champion.
2. Peter Trotter in LS 8 with 3.570 p.
3. Miles Gore Brown in LS 8 with 3.547 p.

15 m. class;
1.Bernie Sizer in PIK 20 with 3.714 points ..Australian Champion.
2. Michael Durrant in LS 8 with 3.657 p.
3. Miles Gore Brown in LS 8 with 3.498 p.

Congratulations to ALL!!!!

Open class had only 1 participant flying a Nimbus 3DM but due to circumstances he did not fly the whole competition.

More later have to go to hospital now.
Back from hospital , where they refreshed the bandage ,put a new one on and that should stay on for 5 day’s and then one more, for also 5 day’s .Then I should be brand new again.
4.30 PM.
In the end they had mainly due to smoke and wind, 6 out of 12 day’s in open/18m and 5 in 15 m./standard.
Not really Tocumwal-like.
They tried hard, except for one day when they cancelled early just because they thought the last week should be booming and HIGH.

A “wrap up” tomorrow.

Off to Lake Keepit soon now.
First waiting for the Czech crew to pick up the LS 1f.
And the car.

Came back from town. We saw a fire , thought somebody was burning tires on a total-fire-ban-day,..but no…they know here.
A speed boat had exploded.
No more details , as yet.
Very “creepy” feeling as sirens of the fire brigade are going on and one. With this wind and that noise,………

Visited Dennis and finally had time to make some pictures.

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In South Africa they are a bit more lucky with the weather … no smoke which helps…for their Nationals, though yesterday showed a small task for their part of the world as well.
348 km. was set and German pilot Klaus won the day with a speed of 130.07 km./h only just faster than John who lost 10 points on him by flying 129.31 km./h..
Bit of an off-day for Oscar, who was “only ” 8th for the day , but now worries he is still far ahead. Brother Laurens did not start for the day.
With one day to go the overall results are now; Oscar with 5.005 p.,John with 4.714 p and Arne with 4.639 p.
“  It seems to have been an interesting day, with lift between 1 m/s & 3.5 m/s and some got to approx. 11 000 ft. The expected high cirrus coverage appeared to have only been thicker to the north of Bloemhof Dam. “

CU tomorrow.