| Manilla Competition Report, 2 to 9 January 2005 results after 5 tasks (with one day dropped) All of the results can be found at Manilla Sky Sailors Track logs: Task1, Task2, Task3, Task4, Task5 (each file is over 1MB in compegps format) This year's competition in Manilla took on an open distance format. Not quite fully subscribed due to the early start date, 119 pilots showed up to see what the New South Wales countryside had to offer. The days building to the competition saw Northerly (not ideal) winds, low bases and some storms, making the new year go with a bang... in the pubs. Over the eight days five tasks were scored which meant that the worst task for every pilot was dropped. 27067 kms were flown in total. Steve Ham took third place overall and was not out of the top 4 every day. Mark Graham won the DHV 2 class and was 7 overall. Emphasis was placed on the team event. It was very close, but England Expects managed to stay top for the whole competition, staving off the threat from the two Manilla teams. 
Day 1, task 1 Howling Northerlies in the early morning were not welcome but, in true Manilla style, by 11:00 they backed off and the thermals started to come up the West launch. The day was opened at 12:30 and the pilots dribbled off the hill. With a forecast wind sheer at 1800M going from 300 degrees below to 120 degrees above, flight planning was made interesting.. and unnecessary. We took off and drifted East, and generally continued East. If you know Manilla you'll know that's not the normal direction to go and there's a lot of countryside with no roads. Undeterred, 14 pilots flew over 100km, with Craig Collings flying 167km before hitting the sea breeze! Britain's Steve Ham came in third place with 134km. Cloudbase started at around 2500m, though towards the end of the day pilots were reaching 3300m. Scores from task 1 top ten animation Day 2 The day started calm enough, but then the wind picked up from the North again. This time it didn't subside and the day was canceled at 13:15 Day 3 Rain and wind from the North saw the day cancelled at 9:00. Day 4 Strong wind and low cloud with a front passing through. They marched us up to the top of the hill, we waited, the front didn't pass, and they marched us down again. Good forecast for tomorrow... can't wait. Day 5, task 2 We awoke to thick cloud covering the sky. Everyone up the hill for 10:00 and there was no wind. The forecast said it would change and change it did. As the cloud passed, the wind on launch picked-up and the take off blew out at around 14:00. The majority of the field managed to get away as the sky filled with impressive wave. Some reported an easy flight, some reported the roughest ever. No one had the same opinion. Craig Collings won the day again, flying 129km, though with the spread of the field the points were worth less than task 1. Britains Steve Ham came third with 108km. scores from task 2 top ten animation Day 6, task 3 For the first time we awoke to no wind or cloud. The forecast was good and everyone was on the hill for 10:00 again, but this time the wind was already strong. As the thermals picked up most pilots were launched by 11:30. The going was lightly (does that word exist) thermic and windy from the South - South East. Local boy JJ Bastion won the day with 186 km, impressive as no-one topped 2200m on a blue day. Top Brit was Mr Ham again, coming in third with 171km. Unfortunately the average distance for the day was lower than the required 80km, and the task scorred 670 points for the winning 186km. scores from task 3 top ten animation Day 7, task 4  We awoke to a breezy Northerly and wave in the sky. The forecast said light to moderate south west wind. The day opened at 10:00 and pilots flopped off the North East launch, the South East launch and the West launch. The early pilots went south and hit a southerly wind later in the day. The majority went South East and hit a South Easterly later in the day. The late pilots went North and flew until the day task stopped at 19:00. Bases to 2800 and more, and clouds made the day easier than task3. Craig Donnell won the day, taking off very late and flying North 118km. Top Brit in fourth position was Steve Ham with 103km. Shown right are all of the tracks for the day. Click the image for a larger version. scores from task 4 top ten animation Day 8, task 5 The strong Easterly in the morning was not the predicted light Southerly, so we ignored it and went up the hill for 10:00. The wind dropped and we started launching from the South take off. There were two routes taken: Some went straight North and some North of North West along the Horton Valley. The day started very slow, with patchy cloud and slow punchy climbs. Towards the end of the day the conditions improved, but not enormously. This did not stop Ross Johnstone doing 224km to win the day and the competition. Best Brit was Mark Graham in seventh place with 165km. scores from task 5 top ten animation report by Mark Graham |
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