The New South Wales State comps continued in Lake Keepit with day 5/task 5 on November 19 and the weather for this day was pretty good again:
” Cu and the glancing influence of a trough with a cold front to follow in the coming days.  Light and variable winds and 4-5kts to 4,500′ AGL at 12pm will kick off a day capable of 575-805km flights.  By 3pm, competitors should enjoy 5-7kt Cu-marked climbs to 9,500′ AGL and perhaps 1,000′ higher in the north.  Conditions are forecast to weaken considerably by 5pm. ”
So off they went!!
Open class; 387 km. with 3 JS 3 gliders in the daily top; Mac , who is really on a mission, flew around with a speed of 142.89 km./h!!!Brad with 136,56 and Jacques [Graells] with 134.47 km./h!!! Bruce was 4th, lost some points, but still leads with just over 50 points.
All 12 pilots who started finished as well!!
Task 6; a 3 hour AAT was set for the “long wings” and it was Bruce again “setting the points on the i”; 377 km. in time 3.01 so a speed of 124.62 km./h. Brad in the JS 3 was a tad faster 389 km in 124.69, but needed 6 minutes more.
Mac was 4th and lost 130 points.
Good to see Nick [Singer] in his JS 1 on 4. Nick is a really nice guy, great cook as we found out last WWGC and a very dedicated club instructor.

Task 7 and the last one!!!
“A gust front forecast to arrive at 1730hrs has resulted in a minimum 2,000′ AGL finish height at 15km.  The temperature trace at Tamworth is a degree ahead of Skysight’s forecast and the tasksetter has made the following decrees for the final day of racing.
Long wings: 3hr AAT 250.3km/592.9km (393.3km)
461 km. was the longest distance by Mac in his JS 3.But,..he did not win the day, Bruce flew 421 km but needed 20 minutes less to do so; 1000 and 916 points. Handicap for ASG 29 is 1075 and for JS 3 1085.
So in the end the final scores are pretty clear,
1. Bruce Taylor in 18m ASG 29 with 6.182 points.
2. Mac Ichikawa in JS 3 with 5.915 p.
3. Brad Edwards in JS 3 with 5.812 p.
On a good 4th place Jacques Graells in the JS 1 still in the 5000 points-marge with 5.489 p
On a very good 5th spot…Kerrie Claffey with 4.623 p.in the 18 m ASG 29.

Sports class; 314km race and good speed here as well as Allan, flew around with 115,76 km./h which was quite a bit faster than David Pickles in his PIK 20B with 106,48 but great speed for the PIK. Kimberly in her Pegase was 3d with 100,84 km./h.
All 11 pilots finished!!!!
Day 6, task 6 a 2.30 AAT was set and this time David was the better one winning the last but one day. Allan was runner up and the difference was very small…..259.91 km in time 229.44 and 259.88 in time 2.30.
Handicap from David’s PIK 20 B is 1055 and the one from Allan ‘s LS 8 is 1085.
So 800 and 755 points for the day.
Day 7 /task 7 ; Short wings….3.30 AAT 338.7km/489.9km (333.9km)
419 km in time 3.38. Great result by Allan . He flew quite a bit further and faster than runner up Paul in his LS 3…..346 km in time 3.32; speed 114.87 for 98.03!!
So a more than deserved total win for Allan.
1. Allan Barnes in LS 8 with 6.062 points.
2. Paul Dickson in LS 3 with 4.939 p. and Winner from club class.
3. David Turner in ASW 27 with 4.695 p.
Good 4th spot for David Pickles in his PIK 20 B.

CONGRATULATIONS to all.
I hope more comps will follow in this covid-19 time!!!
AND, yes

The WAGA STATE COMPS in Australia followed straight away from Narrogin, with 23 competitors in one class ..sports class.3 Fly HC.
They started on November and continue till the 28th.
Some good pilots in this competition so on day 1 with a 2.35 AAT those good pilots topped the list ;Norm Bloch with 361 km and a speed of 139.28 km./h. in his JS 3/18 m..
Then Greg Beecroft in LS 8/15 m. with 361 km. but speed of 126.60 km./h. On the daily spot 3 Lumpy Paterson in JS 3 /18 m with 362 km …speed 133.80 km./h.
Spot 4 was for Don Woodward in ASG 29/18m. with 361 km. ;speed 131.50 km./h.
These 4 fly national and some international comps!
Day 2; 252 AAT and the same 4 in the top 5 with one pilot in the middle; Ashley Boyle in his ASW 27.
This day was for 1000 points; Greg got them. Norm got 973 and Ashley 932 with 929 for Lumpy and 877 for Don.
Day 3 ;a 3 hour AAT and the “little” LS 8, won on handicap with Greg flying 388 km [speed 124.12 km./h] Don flew 433 km [speed 129.84 km./h] and Norm and Lumpy about the same.
Day 4; a 2.14 AAT and HUGE SPEED!!!!! So no 1000 points. Lumpy was in a hurry and flew around with 151,76 km./h over 340.79 km.!!! Pff….
Distances from Norm , [147 km./h] Greg [136 km/h] and Don [141 km./h] and Ashley [135 km./h.] about the same, speed a bit slower.
17 Pilots were “in”.
Day 5 ;TODAY,..no scores yet but a 3 hour AAT was set!!!!More next week.
After 4 days the overall scores are; Greg 3.455, Norm 3.418, Lumpy 3.319 and Don 3.232.

In between the South Island Championships were flown in New Zealand, between November 15 and 21.They had 4 days with 2 3 hour AAT’s and set tasks from 292 and 430 km. in open class .Not bad!!!!
Keith Essex won in his ASG 29 E 3 days and with 3.986 points. The day he did not win was for young Nick Oakley who finished as runner up overall with 3.786 p.
In racing class “good old ” Tony van Dyk won so is still going strong in his LS 8. GOOD ON HIM!!!!3.930 points.
Terry Jones, also in LS 8 was runner up with 3.866 p. He won 2 days ,Tony 1.

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The number 2 [ from 49 participants] , in Borlange, you remember… the WGC 1993 in Sweden , just behind UK pilot Andy Davis , was Erik Borgmann. Last weekend captain Erik, retired after 33 years of flying for KLM to start a” new life after retirement”.
To look back on Erik’s WGC life here a few pictures.

During that 1993 WGC , pilots as Mac, Brad and Bruce , now flying the state comps in Keepit, flew as well. It was one of the wettest and cold comps I remember. My mate Bruce Brockhoff was their TC, he was mostly “frozen”.
Standard class had 9 days, 15 m, had 10 and open 11. So not bad!!!
In 15 m. with 40 participants, it was French pilot Gilbert Gerbaud who won with Eric Napoleon[ both in LS 6B] , as runner up and Austrian pilot Wolfgang Janowitsch as 3d.[Ventus B]
In open, with 27 pilots, it was Janusz Centka[ ASW 22 B] from Poland, followed by Goeran Ax [ ASW 22BLE] from Sweden and Brian Spreckley from the UK.[ASH 25]
I remember, that Frederico Blatter landed in a Lake and had to be carried out by a helicopter. A very exciting happening. For that reason he did not fly the last couple of days.

Talking about Erik and Joyce makes me think of my 50thiest birthday too.
My daughter wanted to talk me in to dressing up, but knowing I was going to visit Erik and Joyce in their fancy farm house with 2 children, I decided to stick to my jeans and body warmer.
Surprise surprise,. A SURPRISE PARTY!!!On November 29 in 1996, organized by Inge , Joyce and Erik and a lot of mates!!
I was shocked, but they did a FABULOUS job and Joyce is a more than talented cook.
50 Guests or more and as you can see I REALLY DID N’T know. It was a total shock!!!

In December we celebrated my birthday in Australia, with my Aussie mates. Different party ,..but now with all my Australian mates. Around 100 arrived in car’s or in planes as from Canberra, Melbourne , Sydney and Brisbane . Friends from town but mostly out of our soaring world.

Looking back in my old books I feel always very sad to see how many of those mates from 1993 and 1996 are not with us anymore now. It’s part of life, I am getting older too.

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The building of the TOCUMWAL MUSEUM is going steady on. The roof is on now .
“The team have done a great job of insulating and cladding in fairly windy conditions the past week but the majority of cladding work is complete with only the northern end and hangar doors remaining.“

That’s it for now.
CU next week.
Cheers Ritz