Major Screw Up.

We had high hopes for a good day today hoping the rain would stay away long enough to have a task. The sky looked good when we arrived at the top of Aspes and the wind started to blow in nice again today. The task committee called another short task of 113km. People were in line early again but their didn't seem to be as much panic to get off as yesterday. With launch conditions looking perfect I decided to wait to launch and spend less time avoiding mid airs. No one looked like they were getting very high but I needed to get into the air in order to make the first start.

I had a slow climb at first and I was not getting quite as high as some of the other pilots a few hundred feet above me. A few minutes before the first start I hit a strong climb. You know you found good lift when the people around you all slot in under neath you. You know you've hit great lift when half the field comes charging toward you. I topped out a couple minutes after the first start and I watched a couple people head out on course. I figured I would go on course and most people went. My GPS wasn't navigating me to the turn point and I started to wonder if I programed in the task wrong some how. A lot of pilots write the task on a piece of tape and put it on their base tube. I was starting to wish I had done this so I could change to the first turn point. Even If I could stick with the group a 400m cylinder is hard to hit with out an instrument. As I was getting to the top of the first thermal on course it hit me. An 11km start circle! I was out side the start when the time switched over. I had to go back and get a start or score zero for the day. I got drilled when I got back to Aspes and took 1/2hr to get back to base. 15min late for the last start and on my own I just wanted to make it to goal. I stayed over the mountains on the way to first start point but still managed to get low just before the first turn point. I worked weak lift trying to get as high as I could before the turn but just drifted farther away. I saw several gliders on the ground around the turn point and finally I just pushed forward and got the turn point. When I hit the cylinder I found lift and gained some height. I had taken so long that I decided to just push forward. I hit a boomer down low and took it right back to base. I could see rain ahead but thought I would push forward. I was under the first really dark cloud and it was really lifting. Looking towards the turn point it was obvious I wasn't going to make it ahead of the storm. I punched in the camp ground coordinate and headed home. A few others did the same after the task had been stopped. The back the times up 15min from when the stop the task. I probably won't even get the first turn point. This is really going to hurt my score for the day. On the bright side I don't really have very far to fall any way. I heard several guys made it in to goal before they stopped the task. Some of them won't count when the back the times up. That would really suck. Sounds like Obrian may have missed it by a minute. Zac said he had goal on glide when the task was called. Hoping for good weather tomorrow.