04 Nov 2021

Task 1 of the PG Worlds 2021 - shot but demanding

After the first day was cancelled the weather allowed setting a task. On Nov 3, 2021 at 15.30 local time, 63 km task was set - a straight line in South-West direction. However, the conditions were weak and no one got to the goal with the best pilot landing short of 40km mark. Please find below the report of Ruth Jessop, who is present at the sight of the event providing live commentary during the race.

Today started off with pilots sitting in swirling mist on take off unable to see from one side of the task briefing to the other. Optimistic as ever, a 63km task was set heading southwest. Mission impossible many of us thought.

The mist cleared just enough for 150 pilots to take off and head for a late start gate which opened at 15.30h. Most managed to stay airborne and gain enough height in front of the Loma Bola ridge to take the start.

In the mountains, at the beginning of the task maximizing every scrap of lift was critical, with only a couple of hundred metres between the terrain and top of lift to work with. The clouds were fairly benign, easy to escape from and the pilots didn’t risk being sucked in.

The course line then moved out into the flats where it was much weaker with 1m/s climbs, then 0.5 m/s.

As the afternoon drew to a close, so did any chance of the pilots making goal. What little lift there was switched off leaving everyone to touch down in any of the plentiful landing options, in fields and lemon plantations.

Nobody made goal but in the words of Daria Krasnova, ‘after all the rain over the past few days, today was a gift.’

Those who won the day were the pilots with a combination of good distance points and lead out points. As nobody got to the goal, there were no time points.