Well, ….not bad is it ,….for an old , [on my way to 75 ] lady!
Lot’s of discipline to do research and “soar” hands from writing and once in a while mistakes…, but I try to be as correct as I can.
A huge thank you to Bill as well, as he keeps my blog “running” now.
Knowing that, gives me much less stress.
So best to continue with the regionals in Worchester.

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Western Cape Regionals flown from Worcester.
I was very pleased with, / enthusiastic about the speed last time in my blog, from Uys, [185.72 km./h.] but one of the readers, a glider pilot , wrote a reaction who put me more or less back with 2 feet on the ground, though I am still enthusiastic ,
“it IS nice, but when you start high and have a long final glide, maybe only need 2 thermals and then straight on ,AND with a short task, I am not too impressed. What strikes me more is the very favorable handicap for 2 seaters. They earn a lot of points.“
A different look on it.
Here is what Uys had to say about the fast “blistering” day;”
“It was an amazing day. I don’t know the area at all, so I had no idea where to take caution or where to conserve energy. The JS3 (like the JS1) has a very high yellow line speed – it likes to fly fast – so cruising above 200 km/h for most of the task was a lot of fun. What a wonderful place – ideal for a Grand Prix Final”,
So further with flying day 4, task 5 in open class, after a non flying day on Wednesday.
608 km for open, 390 for club and 497 for 15 m. Pffff…..
In open the best speed was again for Uys,..a real speedy gonzales..in his JS 3 , 156 km./h, but the 1000 points were for Oscar and his mate in the ASG 32 .
Speed; 148 km./h but on handicap that gives more points.
Most pilots started just before 2 PM, smart with such a long task, but Marcus started at 2.25 and was “out” after 439 km. A pity.
Only later I found out the reason;
“Thanks Markus (and Martin) for delaying your launch to help remove my seatpan to recover the elevator trim knob that had come unscrewed.” as written by Nick and John who were 6th for the day.
In single-handed-racing in a yacht, you can win by helping!!!!!
4 Out in total.
Looking at the “little ones…with affection, 2 flew the distance from 391 km. The DG 400/17 m. [handicap 109] even with 133.95 km./h.
The ASTIR pilot, Colin, flew 4 hours but finished !![handicap 96]
In 15 m. there were 2 pilots flying around with just over 120 km./h over 498 km. One of them Wilhelm Mosehuus in the MOSQUITO.
Martin had, with a later start by being helpful, less chance and was out.
No “Yacht” bonus in gliding.
Flying day 5 task 6;
Open had 521 km to fly and our USA mate Nick is learning quick from John and together they won the day in the repaired ARCUS M. The team started together with Marcus , but the speed difference was 5 km./h.
156.13 km./h and 151.15 km./h. for 667 and 644 points!!!
Ouch,…Oscar with the ASG 32M was “out after 116 km. “bringing” him a poor amount of 96 points. Dropping from 2 overall to 7!!!
Flying day 6 task 7; On this last day Nicolas and John had an overall lead from 121 points on Uys.
A 389 km. task was set and a terrible fast one again, ..racing the area and those mountains…must be great fun.
Oscar won in the ASG 32 M, on handicap, with a speed of 177 km./h. But Phillip Jonker in the JS 1 had a speed of 183 km./h!!!!
Nicolas and John were on spot 3.
Nicolas; “Worcester Regional (officially the “Cape Gauntlet”) Day 7. Task speed 173kph. Great conclusion to a fine contest on very scenic ridges with excellent coaching from John Coutts. It was a short and straight forward task intended to get everyone back in time for the post-contest meeting. Mostly a drag race on the north south ridges, but there were at least three ways to get to the last turnpoint. We circled before reaching Saron, which cost a few minutes, but was a conservative solution we had high confidence would work, and it did.”

Final results from Worcester;
1. Nicolas Bennett and John Coutts in ARCUS M with 4.090 points.
2. Uys Jonker in JS 3 with 3.946 p.
3. Andreas Spielmann from Switzerland with 3.732 p.

15 m. was won by Findlay Smith in Ventus b with 4.365 points and
CLUB, by Colin Sindle in Astir CS with 2.715 points,… a “whopping” 594 points more than runner up Kevin Mitchell in DG 400/17m. who won 4 days but did not fly on task 6.

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Club class NATIONALS in NEW ZEALAND
January 29-February 7 2021.

After a practice day with an 2 hour AAT they started on Saturday January 30 with the Club Class Nationals and the MSC comp at the airfield of MATAMATA. I visited this airfield in 2011 , I guess it was, when I visited N.Z.
15 club pilots and 11 open class pilots among them Brett Hunter,Patrick Driessen,Tony van Dyk and Tim Bromhead.
A great start in open class with a 4 hour AAT won by Brett in the JS 3. Not the huge speed from South Africa but a steady 103 km./h over 414 km.!!
4 Outlandings one by Tim and good “old” Tony was runner up in his LS 8 with 358 km. in time 4.03.[88 km./h.]
Task 2 was “no worries” for Tim , he shook off the loss of day 1 and won the set 340 km. task with a speed of 122 km../h in his Ventus CT/17.5 m.
Task 3 with a 3 hour AAT, ….good weather there on the Nord Island…was won by Brett again; 338 km. in time 3.22 [100 km./h]
Task 4 was 272 km. and 2 pilots flew around with a speed over 100 km./h
Tim with 112 km./h and a late start at 2PM, and Brett who started half an hour earlier with 111 km./h.
All 10 who started flew the task. Tony was 5th.
At this stage the overall scores are looking VERY good for Brett 3.700 points. Runner up Tony with 3.389 p.

Club , showed with task 1, that 9 from 16 finished. Mark Wilson in his St Libelle won the the set 309 km. in time 3.53 so a speed of 79 km./h.
Task 2 showed 282.82 km. to fly for the pilots. Robert ‘ Bob’ Gray in the DG-100 G elan, won just ahead of Mark;1000 and 995 points.
A 3 hour AAT as task 3 and the “good old Libelle” won with 245 km in time 3.11. All 15 who are still in the race,….finished!!!
Task 4 another 3 hour AAT. The winner here in the DG , Robert started also just before 2 PM. [1000 points for 246 km. in time 3.12.] He was not the last ,as half an hour later at 2.30 it was a daring attempt from the Libelle pilot Rob Lyon,….but he finished and was 7th for the day, but flew around 50 km. less than the others.
So with a few more days to go it’s between Robert[3.892 points, who also topped the world wide OLC list on February 2 for 293 OLC km’s] , Mark [3.803] and Rae Kerr in a T51 Dart 17R[ have not heard of this plane yet], with 3.725 p.

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Nordic Gliding is a great soaring/aviation magazine, by Jens Trabolt. Indeed it is in Danish language but as Jens mentioned “As always please find a link to translation in the beginning of the article.”
This time [January 27] they have an article about the “Duo Discus with FES? Yes, the popular 20 meter glider enters the new electric world alongside its classmate DG 1001 e neo. A new, more powerful battery is also on its ways, says the supplier.”
https://nordicgliding.com/
And “curious on the eta concept? then read the NG-flight experience article “here: (please find a link to translation in the beginning of the article)” https://nordicgliding.com/paa-eet-langt-finaleglid-med-eta/
About the Gliding Magazine; “The gliding associations in Denmark, Sweden and Norway have joined forces to publish a professionally made aviation magazine portraying the fascinating world of gliding and energy efficient flight and showcasing exiting new technologies and products.”
AND
“From 2020 NORDIC GLIDING also has a digital presence on nordicgliding.com. The website has the largest amount of professional, high quality gliding content anywhere in the world.”

Nice news from Tasmania. I was there only once but on a very special day.
The final of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in 1997, with as winner George Snow with BRINDABELLA, who learned to fly gliders at Sportavia. We were invited at the winning boat and it was SUPERB.

Now the soaring news from Tasmania;”A very exciting day at Gliding Tasmania. For the first time in the 46 year history of the club, they send 2 new members solo “. Have a look at gliding Tasmania on their FB site.

The HORSHAM COACHING week has started and Horsham week will be flown between February 6 and 13.
www.horshamweek.org.au

And to finish this great picture from pink skies by Swiss Chris from the sunset in Tocumwal on February!
Did you know that in “our” time, well known photographer’s arrived to make photo shoots from cars at the runway with this colorful sunset?? All very secret as those cars were brand-new models.

CU next week…ready for a few more….
Cheers Ritz