HGFA Skysailor Magazine

14 SKY SAILOR May | June 2019 Phil retrieved Lucy whilst the rest of us set up our swags and settled down with a beer in front of the microwave. This was camping FlyDubbo- style. Completely self-sufficient with several deep-cycle batteries there was enough power for everyone to charge their instruments and run a microwave to heat up the gourmet home-cooked meals Phil had prepared earlier. The chilli beef with pasta was amazingly good. Phil and Lucy arrived back after dark, and were handed a beer and a heated meal quickly so we could hear all about Lucy’s flight. Once the mozzies got unbearable, we turned in for the night, eager to make a better day of it tomorrow. The morning briefing was focused and inclusive, with no question considered stupid. A lot of this was attributed to our guide, Phil Mansell, who operates FlyDubbo Tow Safaris, but I think it was partly due to feeling you won’t be judged by anyone for asking questions. Most questions asked sheepishly were supported by several, “Yeah, I was wondering about that too,” comments. I walked away from these briefings feeling like there was nothing I couldn’t ask, and confident that the attendees got the information they needed. The tow paddock is a hot and dusty environment. You wouldn’t choose to hang out there if it wasn’t for a chance to get high and fly away. Temperatures reached 35ºC during the day, and despite it being autumn, it felt like summer was digging its heels in. I had brought Jaimi Joy along, an adventure photographer I met 18 months ago, to capture the event. She is a talented photographer who also embodies that fearless love of adventure I strive to uncover and is a strong women’s advocate, focusing a lot of her time to events that promote women in sport. This is the second event she joined, and she blends in seamlessly, contributing to the energy that emerges on these trips. I’m constantly amazed at her stamina to be in the tow paddock all day, without relief from the heat, flies, dust and bindis. It was my turn to fly on the second day, with Lucy on launch with the pilots. I was a little nervous as I had not had my first ‘warm-up’ tow and the forecast was for a windy day. My tow went perfectly, and after hearing that the climbs were fairly weak down low the day before, I headed downwind, stopping in anything that might lead into something. Mel took off next, and she took a slightly different route away from the end of tow. I took my time in the slow climbs I found so I could try to assist if need be. When Mel found a relative screamer without my assistance, I headed off downwind towards the hills I expected would trigger. The wind was quite strong up high and I reported this back to the group. I hoped for a decent wind gradient so we could continue launching and landing safely. I guided Mel towards the hills I’d found triggering, offering hints every now and then. Mel landed at 27km, happy with her decisions and stoked with her XC flight. I could hear that Halina was also in the air, probably an hour behind me. The last radio calls I heard indicated the wind was picking up and they were taking a break from towing. Cath on launch Women with Grit and Bindis Erica A happy Halina