SAFA Skysailor Magazine

12 SKY SAILOR March | April 2020 W ith most of NSW and Victoria’s east coast on fire, the thought of hang gliding in these extreme conditions was a little daunting. There were sug- gestions to move the comp, but with 52 pilots already signed up and heading for Forbes, there was little to do but to make the most of it. We welcomed 17 Aussie and 35 international pilots from 14 countries, 20 of those had never flown at Forbes! We were able to get some practice tows in late on 2 and 3 January for those prepared to brave the scorching temperatures. The first three days of the comp were cancelled due to strong winds, low visibility from bushfire smoke and extreme temperatures in the mid to high 40s. We were finally able to set Task 1 on Day 4 – very uncharacteristic for Forbes. The safety committee were nervous of the gusty conditions, consider- ing the wide range of pilot skill at this comp, and delayed the start twice, hoping for smoother condi- tions later in the day. By the time we got the field away, it was very late in the day and no one was able to make goal. Trent Brown (Aus) led most of the course to take the day win. The Sport Class task was stopped within an hour, due to rain on the course line which meant it was not a valid round. Conditions improved for Task 2 and a 144.3km task via two turnpoints to Bogan Gate was set. It was still a little gusty on launch, hats off to our launch crew to get everyone away safely. Attila Bertok (Hun) was fastest of 19 pilots in goal , earning him 1000 points. Sport Class had a 60.3km task to Gooloogong with Jonghwan Kim (Kor) taking the day win. Finally, true Forbes conditions with super climbs and lighter winds. Task 3 was a 156.2 triangular course back to the airfield saw 14 pilots in goal. Attila Bertok again won the day with 1000 points, while Sport Class had a 69.5km task to Canowindra with Peter Garrone (Aus) in first. Day 8, Task 4: A strong southerly blew in during the night before creating a huge dust storm. We woke to heavy overcast sky with a glimpse of blue way to the south. The forecast was not good. While sitting at the task setting table, Tomas Suchanek phoned Attila from Narromine, 150km north of Forbes Flatlands 2020 Forbes 2020 certainly started out with a very ominous forecast. by Vicki Cain Photo: Peak Pictures On tow Photo: Evgeniya Laritskaya Photo: Vicky Beaudoin Three of the four Dragonflies ‘fly by’ before the last task Photo: Evgeniya Laritskaya