HGFA Skysailor Magazine

12 SKY SAILOR May | June 2019 Tales from the 2019 Altitude with Attitude Dubbo Tow Safari by Kirsten Seeto Women with Grit and Bindis I open my eyes to see the colours of a newborn sun, soft sounds of movement nearby. The air is warm and only a flyscreen, 30cm from my face, separates me from this scene. I roll onto my side and take it all in. I am in a swag by the Macquarie River with eight other women, all as stoked to be there as I am, and two super-cool blokes who blend in seamlessly. This is the last day of our women’s towing safari, and the last women’s event for the season. I realise that for all the angst I felt organising these events, they have delivered more than I thought possible. I enjoy that warm, fuzzy feeling that I am exactly where I should be for a moment before unzipping my swag and joining the others… Three days ago we descended on Phil Mansell’s property, just outside of Dubbo, NSW. There’s currently a drought in NSW and the area is super dry and dusty. Phil’s yard is a green oasis, and the location for our first night camping in swags. There is a camp kitchen closeby where Phil cooked us dinner whilst we sat around, enjoying an evening beer, excited to all get to know each other. We fired questions at Phil, eager to be organised and sorted for the next day’s adventure. Phil must have realised then that his last safari for the season was not like the others. Once dinner was finished, everyone headed off for an early night, lying under the stars to drift off to sleep. Kaz was first up, wandering around, coffee in hand, deep in thought. Kaz is a gorgeous person, as bubbly as her hair is curly, willing to try anything, quick to offer a helping hand. Her unique laughter is never far away, and her self-deprecating sense of humour leaves us all relaxed. She is an experienced coastal pilot, now trying to get some inland XC hours under her belt. This is her third ‘Altitude with Attitude’ event for the season and I love seeing her name pop up on the attendee list. She brings such a happy, relaxed vibe to the events. By the time we finished breakfast, the wind was strong and the sky unwelcoming, with grey clouds stretching as far as the eye could see. I had asked Phil what we would do if it wasn’t flyable months ago when I booked with him. He had informed me that they had never had to cancel a safari due to bad weather. The format of moving around to find the best conditions eliminated that side of paragliding which we all loathe but have come to accept. So I didn’t stress about the conditions as they evolved that morning, I just waited to see how many hours we had to drive – two was the answer. Stephen Noble, the other half of the FlyDubbo team, had arrived late the previous night. Stephen had found Cath emerges from her swag Photos: Jaimi Joy