Can't believe I was second on the hill today, but the spaces very quickly filled up. The forecast was good on what appeared to be a Malvern light wind day. This tempted everyone to nest on the hill and wait for it to go ballistic!
On take off there was talk of 50k triangles all the way up to 145k. I set a 100k triangle and shared it with anyone looking for a task. The day was sunny, with good cumulus development by 10:30. The general public were excited. Pilots were excited. Then the first pilots took to the air and the bubble burst. Two early adventurers saw one stay above ridge height and Charles top landing. Then a small group drifted out low above the bottom landing before they took a slow climb out over some smoke.
The rest of us crossed our fingers hoping Ben D would find something. When he eventually did all squadrons were scrambled and the air was soon thick with gliders, most keen to push along the well trodden route over Worcester and up toward Droitwich and beyond. I set off with Charles, but he caught a good climb just past Worcester which I completely failed to find.
The push into wind was much harder than than I'd expected and just before Droitwich I bailed and opted to take the scenic route back to the hill. A few working clouds and a down winder, and I was back at take off.
A interesting day, but with all the hype and high expectation I can't help feeling a tad deflated.