Missed by that much

Not a great day for me. I was getting around the task sort of OK but just couldn't get the climb I needed to get onto final glide. In the end it just never eventuated and I was heading into the control point a couple of hundred feet shy of making it back to the airfield.

But there is another way. After Lars' accident they changed the finish procedure from a line on the airfield boundary to a 3km finish ring, much like we have in Australia. I figured I could do a Sebastian Kawa, get into the circle and then land.

But then it rained. Glider performance went down the gurgler and I had to make a quick decision about whether I could clear the fence into the next paddock. No was the answer. Flopped down into a corn field (not ideal) and finished 90 metres short of the circle. Bugger!

To add insult to injury (actually the other way round) I then ripped a back muscle carrying the glider wings out to the road . From previous experience I am now going to be in pain for a week.

Oh and before the start three separate gliders did their level best to clean me up in thermals.

Not 100% happy just at the moment.

Graham