Ms Palindrome blog

[Viv]

16th Feb. Rhosili. Arrive lunchtime to find several hangies patiently on the pimple. Their windsock is showing a light wind, slightly variable.  By the time I rig up it's come round more on. A practice inflation seems smooth enough, so I turn and push off, it seems like hard work, and I end up in the gorse in front.  Sheepishly mushroom up and start again, Gerry explains that I hadn't quite got it over my head, so that's why it was like pulling a train!  It's still a bit light, a nice patch of orografic clinging around the top, so I reverse launch from pimple, head north, climb a bit towards the top where others are already airborne, come as near as I dare to the face in an attempt to scratch up, and see 2 guys on the slope below me.  I've been dumped here before, so push out and turn back for a pimple landing, but  the nice wide margin I've left tips me out the front of the lift band, it's nil wind lower down, not enough to even make the beach, I just get my legs out in time for a somewhat inelegant downwind landing on the track, where I can cause no damage to the site, and pack up in between the cowpats. 5 mins. Soundly berated on the radio by Stevie g, but it was an emergency landing, honest!

[Viv]

15th Feb Rhosili, arrived too early, the top was covered in fog, so went to the cafe, Rob and Tina, Stevie G, Jared, Gerry, Michelle, Reech and Chris Williams all there. Gerry and Cookie got away first from the top, but too windy for me, so join the back of the queue from the pimple, reverse launch and gain some height, but can't get forward and end up on speedbar, eventually land without mishap a few hundred feet behind the top, walk back to pimple and reverse launch in what I feel to be a managable bit of the cycle, get blown back again, this time landing in field behind pimple. I feel that without the reserve attached it makes a difference to the handling, Chris points out that I could still have it on board for ballast, and get it attached when Nick gets back. Genius. 15 mins of fun today. With the visiting Poles from London there were 20 there today.  Stevie chased them off the raised beach, where they had planned to groundhandle.

[Viv]

11 Feb. Rhosili, 8-10mph up top on arrival midmorning. Trying out my new lightweight harness, spent half an hour hanging up indoors tweaking straps to fit. Gerry and the army are there so no worries. Thanks for helping to tie on speedbar Gerry. A practice inflation has me running after the wing, the difference in handling is noticeable, lack of weight in the harness means less resistance, in fact it's like wearing nothing at all!  Move to the edge for a reverse launch, smooth pull, turn and load what little there is of the harness, and whoosh! the fastest lift I ever had here, drifting off to the side while I wriggle into the seat, mustn't wriggle, it makes the wing bobble!  I try to penetrate forwards away from the top, which is well below me by now, speedbar for half a minute, then cautiously weightshift to left and right, yawing and climbing still higher, she's so responsive! It's bobbly all right, I try the active flying thing, and bingo, she goes faster! It's a bit scary so I go for a pimple landing, but shoot through, another pass along the face, try and sctatch up to top, but I'm too far out and sink towards the white house, decide on a beach landing now that the tide is well out, go for the driest bit near the steps, and touchdown neatly. Can't believe its only 8 mins since t/o.  I gleefully trot back up, retrieving the flask of tea from the car for added ballast. It's so light to carry! Should have gone lightweight before now.  From the pimple this time, reverse launch, nice lift over the cleft, a good 40 mins getting the feel of how she behaves, fantastic height in much smoother air, a couple of cautious bigears, and a sweet landing on pimple. It makes me laugh out loud! A great day, shame I have to leave early.

[Viv]

13th Jan Rhosili. Arrive midmorning to find it 18mph on pimple, try the beach for groundhandling, very soggy as the tide has only just gone out, watch the others trying to launch from the beach and decide to go back up to the pimple.  At around 2pm the windspeed dropped to 12-15mph, and I wait for the cycle. I move to the front of slope as it's a bit much further back, reverse launch and whisked aloft! A definite drift backwards, gaining height, quickly out with the speedbar, cautiously at first, then advice on the radio says "full on!" so there I am standing in the crucifix position, going up and back but more slowly than without bar. I would like to topland but it's just a receding dot, I get off bar and weightshift and brake left over the field behind the Gallery, there are no sheep there today, so land without mishap. Thanks guys for helping me over the fence with kit. I detangle lines, turn around and the glider is flying off on her own! That means its gone stronger, not weaker as predicted, and I head down for a coffee. The Worm's Head is closed for refurbishment, and at 3.30 I see the three guys take off in perfect formation, I gaze wistfully from the churchyard, knowing that by the time I climb back up with kit it may well be too late. There is a grey claggy mess advancing from the sea, inversion? and the sun is getting low. 5 mins sheer excitement today. 

[Viv]

9th Jan Bryncaws. Light breeze off the hill on arrival midmorning. Groundhandling, reverse launch, a couple of beats and slope land by cars below mast. Reverse launch and long flight with 14 others, half of whom land because they are cold. I boat around in my thermals for a while longer, as high as the mast, and practise scratching up from below the launch to above it, then find that I am the only one to bottom land today, the field has just been manured, thanks Stevie for the retrieve, reverse launch from top to shelf, it's going off now, we wait in hope for the magic lift, but the front of slope is in shade now, so one last reverse launch, a few beats and land by the car for easy packup, not too far to carry kit. A good hour airtime today, plenty groundhandling, nice to see the usual crowd. A great day, until I drove over a large boulder and set off the airbag, seatbelt tensioner and tracking in my new car I got last week. This is only it's second outing. I cry briefly, being a girl, and book it into the garage first thing monday. It steers like a pig all the way home, and I can't use my seatbelt. Thank goodness Gerry is picking me up for Marros tmz!