SORRY,…..the transfer from my posts to another server took a bit longer than expected, hence a later post .
“Scribbles” ,….so many, from 2006 on ,with pictures,….a hell of a job!!!
But Bill did WELL as always!!
 HUGE THANK you to Bill!!!!

The Namibia season was short but strong.
Looking at the last week there were some great flights from Worcester in South Africa, where Frerk and Marcus flew in the ARCUS M a distance of 1.209 km. …853 km FAI triangle.
Also from Australia ,great flights ; the Tocumwal- Benalla- Corowa, triangle was GOOD.
Tobias Geiger flew on January 10 , a 1000 km FAI triangle from Benalla in a 15m. Ventus 2AX. GREAT JOB!!!
And what about 918 km. that day, also  from Benalla in an LS 3!!!
Francesco from Corowa flew in his ASG 32 MI a distance of 757 km and from Toc. Grant in his ST. Jantar 709 km.
Earlier on January 8 the WEST of Australia was good with 1000 km. flights from Norm in his JS 3 from Beverley and 1.134km in an ASH 31/21 m. from Cunderdin by James Cooper.
He flew 500 km OUT to the N. and returned over mostly scrub areas, where nobody lives.
Temora had a lot of pilots and several great flights up to and over 1000 km. Several set 1000 flights but even with the great weather and the longer days, it is sometimes not so easy, as we all know.
Flights from 996 and 987 and 981, are fabulous but do not give THE great pleasure of a 1000 k flight, even if you have already 10 or more.
Certainly, when you, like Matthew [Scutter] set a 1000 , fly it in your DIANA, and for the OLC is it 996!!!
“Why does OLC optimize this to 997 but LX and CU to 1000.5? Will just do it again tomorrow ”
Some pilots abandoned their flight to be fit again for the next day to fly it again.

Looking back at the Comps, the 2021 S.A State comps were won by Pete Temple in 18 m. with 6 days flown out of 7.
5.152 points and Pete won every day!
In club class Bernie Sizer won in his PIK 20B with 4.962 points.
The New Zealand National Multi Class Champions had an exciting finish in open class . They had 5 out of 9 days and Keith Essex won the last day and JUST finished 2 points ahead of Mike Oakley in the ASH 25.
In racing it was young Nick Oakley with more than 500 points ahead of the runner up [4.787 for 4.226]

Today in my post,  a mail I got from Kari [Lappalainen] from Finland. He and Jari Julin flew in our early SSC period in an LS 6 brought from Finland ; JJ.
The glider has been LONG in Tocumwal and later Martti Sucksdorf flew in it as well. Kari , every year, did the inspections!
Reading through his eyes, shows another perspective on great times in Tocumwal, than my own perspective ,which you know about now.
He send pictures with it as well and he sends his greetings to all readers who flew in his time at Sportavia.
He allowed me to share it with you so here we go.

Hello Ritz!
As you know, this time of the year, in my view in the afternoon,  it
should look like in the picture which Swiss Chris sent to you for your
blog. But in reality, it looks like in these pics here. These were taken
in Räyskälä on 6 Jan 2021 at 16.00 loc. How do I survive? Only one
summer / year this time.

But there is nothing I can do about it in these circumstances. Visitors
are not welcome to Australia at the moment and I have to stay in Finland
shoveling the snow! Blaaah!
All this means that I have to start to use the Ventus2 of my club more
during this season. During past 20 years I have done most of my gliding
in Toc but now I have to learn to navigate around Räyskälä again .

You have long story about Toc in your blog. I have a lot of warm
memories  from Toc also. And I have got many good friends and nice
memories during my holidays there.
Some friends have passed away , some moved a way, some moved away and then back to Toc again (like Tove and Grant) , some friends I have still
met every year  in Toc or at their homes in Toc or in Melbourne. Some
overseas friends  have  been faithful to Toc and been coming there 
after Sportavia died, operating under umbrella of Ed . And some oversees
friends I have not seen since Sportavia was gone and this is sad of
course. Sad because memories of gliding there is only one thing,
memories of the time spent with friends there is very important also.

 From my flights with Sportavia I have a lot of memories and some  pics.
Here you get  two memorable ones from my flights. They are like
extremes. Triumph (2003) and almost disaster (2002).  You maybe remember these.   My guess is that no one has made outlanding any closer to the airfield. If some one likes to make measurements, the JJ has been turned around in the pic. I had to make ground loop in the end and tail was
pointing to the airfield and was a bit closer.
It was the stormy day when LS4 was turned upside down by the storm. I
was coming back from NE and we were advised to land somewhere and wait until  storm was gone in Toc .  Myself and  other pilot landed on same
paddock and waited for the tug in sunshine.  Later on the storm was gone
and tug came to pick us up.
I went first. It was still windy and Ed recommended  me to land on
platform so they could  grab my wing before wind turns me over.  Well,
no problem, I have landed smaller paddocks in Finland. In strong wind
you have to keep altitude and speed high on circuit. On final I was much
higher than normally and for a moment I thought that I will overshoot.
But then downburst started from blue sky. Brakes in, nose down…speed
is still disappearing, flaps negative, nose more  down, still not more
than 120km/h. And very soon I was getting low, not sure if I could make
it over the fence and trailers. Quick decision,  less risky to try to
land in between the remains of  basement of old building and the fence
of airfield.  Now we knew better and advised the other pilot to land on
18 and aim at the crossing of runways. He tried but barely got to the
airport.  Down burst was still there!
I have had many great flights with Sportavia and under Ed’s umbrella but
those two in pics are the most memorable.

Maybe you do not remember the story how my 22 year long relationship
with Toc started. You were the key factor in process!
My self and Ilkka Toijala had our club gliders booked for our gliding
holiday periods on same time during two seasons in a row in Räyskälä. On
both times it rained. We were sitting in cafeteria on our last days of
holiday 1998. We decided that something has to be done. We went to
internet. Typed Gliding Australia in Google. Got a list of gliding clubs
in Australia.  We sent inquiries to few Gliding Centres.
 On next day (I think) we got first reply. It was from you!! Other
center’s  came  week behind and were  terribly late. We had already done
our bookings with you. And the rest is history!

Our gliding season 2020 in Räyskälä was delayed roughly one month
because of covid restrictions. But after that it was quite good as you
have seen in OLC.
Best wishes and Corona free year 2021!!!

Kari

A huge thank you to Kari as well. SO nice to see the soaring from the guest/friends site as well.

Without problems I will be back next Wednesday!
Cheers Ritz