thursday 11th january
A warm winter day again, high pressure over spain, inversion, smog over the city of Alicante.
We left early again to check Peña Rubia, maybe it was gonna surprise us. But it didn't.
It was a lost of time, we should have slept in, enjoyed a huge breakfast and leave for the afternoon. And that's what's gonna happen tomorrow.
At 2 pm, it was the best time to rig at Palo, flying was at its best at 3 pm.
Tim with his Ozone Mojo is getting used to the thermals, his first once since qualified in England, Phil needs to work on his landings, but looks like getting used to his excellent Nova Mamboo. Kenny flies excellent at times and then all of a sudden he dolphins through and around the thermals. And he's way too strong, got to work on his take offs, getting it all more under control.
Jarn is Jarn, very eager turning into every little lift he encounters. His friend needs to rehearse all priority rules for paragliding.
Michael and Bettina were fixing roofs, Marcel and Sonja were on the market.
Dudo, Sayo and Jose Luis, local pilots got to Maigmo and back. Dudo got through the inversion, and was all hyper telling us about the view he had up there, on his radio.
How an old (meaning experienced) pilot still can get so excited about his flying, amazing but not surprising.
It felt good, just had a little flight between doing the retrievals, had to just suss the desire to fly.
It is evening, temperatures are in free fall, after being in their twenties during the day.
| You can already see at this pciture that the inversion wasn't gonna let us fly high.
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| Fighting to get through the inversion all the time. This is Chris with his Mamboo Nova. |
Koen is still racing his bike, didn't get to bivouac yet. It is 7.30 pm, he had to ride over 800 km today. On dirt tracks etc... . Yesterday he rode without rear suspension over 800 km, it got bust the day before. And there were no repairs, or spare parts allowed. He must be knackered.
He drove into Mauretania today. Keep it up Koen, you are almost at the finish. I will send him an email again tonight, telling him we have been sitting in our comfortable harnasses, enjoying the views, finishing it off with a rioja vino tinto and a tapa. Keep on going buddy.
wednesday 10th january
Early leave for El Cid. A huge top to bottom, enjoying the height, the views.
From early on it was clear, today was not gonna be like yesterday with its registered (!) 6 m/s thermals. A high pressure, 1025 mb, wouldn't let it happen. Smog over Alicante, car wet early morning, fog.
In the afternoon we drove to Palo, and had some thermals to play with. But they were very small, and left us soon.
Only the guiris (foreigners) and Dudo flew, other local pilots left it for tomorrow.
Greedy Jarl, was too close in his turns towards the hill and kissed the rocks. Luckily for him without injury.
We need some bad weather, some wind, so the inversion is blown away, and we can start all over again.
Not complaining though, sun in the face, 20 degrees, and we had our wings out, groovy.
Koen, my friend, who is competing in the Dakar race with his Honda, said it was very dangerous yesterday, so much dust in the air, he could hardly see where the tricky bits were to avoid. Good luck, Koen !
 | Had some pilots asking me what kind of a terrain we have down here (I say down here because you are all up there) Well on this photo you can tell our region is very very dry. Picture was not taken today, but it is a shot from landing field looking up at take off. No cactuses like in Mexico, but snakes and scorpions of course. And bulls ! |
tuesday 9th january 2007
Another blue sky, warm temperatures, flying thermals. Hours of fun.
Dudo, Jose Luis, Rafa up and down to Maigmo, the others cruising around all afternoon.
monday 8th january 2007
Today wind were too strong for flying. West wind, winds we do not like.
And this for different reasons :
- usually linked with a low pressure over the Azores
- air coming in from Castilla la Mancha, no friction is calming down the winds over the plains of Spain
- dry air, blue sky, thermals generating the prevailing wind
When all this comes to our Alicante hills, the winds are strong and gusty.
From tomorrow onwards all week flying I guess, thursday bit strong, should be excellent to soar on the coast for a change.
During the day keeping an eye on the weather and go flying, in the evening an eye on the telly, watching the Paris-Dakar race My friend Koen Verburgh is competing with his Honda 450 CRF X, his second Paris-Dakar. And yes of course, Koen has been in the air with us in Alicante.
Riding the Dakar race was always secretly one of my dreams, knowing that one, would never come true, but now enjoying that my friend is living it ! www.dakar.com
sunday 7 january 2007
Couldn't resist. Back from skiing last night, woke up this morning, blue sky, promising 20 degrees celsius.
Knowing the day was gonna be flyable, and been missing my flying buddies for a week, agreed to go fly at Palomaret.
It was busy, but luckily the thermals got us high, so we could give each other some airspace.
Michael was flying his Skywalk Cayenne, and I am certainly gonna be nice to him and ask if I can try it once. Further lots of Niviuk try outs by local pilots.
No worries Frans, your HOOK is stuck in its bag, ready to be posted to Belgium, congratulations you're gonna love it.
The air was nice today, and it was beneficiary if you knew the site, knowing where the small little house thermals always kick off from.
Cloudbase for some of us was 300 m above the crest, high enough for some to get to Maigmo, but coming back upwind hard to get back and topland.
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