Medals!

We have medals:
Ayala took Bronze Medal in Standard Class
And we received the Silver Medal as a team, with Liz in 4th and Claudia in 6th in their respective classes.

WWGC2019 Team Prize: France- Gold, UK – Silver, Italy – Bronze

The final day

We have received a number of questions about why on the last day of the competition the Day 10 scores changed during the day. We have also received questions about why finalizing the scores and prize giving was so delayed.  This was because each pilot in the Australian team was given a penalty for unsporting behaviour and these penalties were then protested by a number of teams which resulted in a delay finalising the scores whilst the international jury considered the protests.

The competition team showed willing this morning and gridded the pilots/ gliders as there was a chance of flying in a small weather window.  20 minutes before launch there was indeed a lovely little cloud street stretching away North.  This video shows the weather about 40 minutes later.

We were optimistic that we would get a short task in, dodging the storms with a chance to disrupt the scores in a positive way for us.  This picture series tells the story of what actually happened – which from the Team GB perspective is the bad news,  as we didn’t get a chance to slide our noses back over the medal line.  Katrin, Melanie and Anne – currently top 3 in the 18m on the grid; a cracking street sets up but overbrews; the outflow covers everyone and everything in dust; and finally – and for New South Wales this is the good news – the Women’s Worlds delivers as promised and breaks the drought.  It’s pretty wet out there right now, and real rain is forecast for tomorrow.

Today the forecast was ‘not quite as good as yesterday’ – however it was a day where the weather had clearly not read the forecast.  18m were on the front then Club then Standards, with AATs from 4h to 3h30.  The sky quickly became fairly overcast with top cover and soft Cu underneath and some dead areas of layer cloud in the southern area which was the run out for all classes.  ‘No risk of a shower’ they said – but in fact it was raining gently just to the NE of the airfield while launching was in progress, and then storms started on the high ground where the decent conditions are.  All classes had to navigate both rain and unsoarable areas.  The outcome once the scores were in was that both Liz and Ayala just lost their podium positions, slipping into 4th place in 18m and Standard classes.  So we need Day 11 for them to nudge back in front – and the forecast is not good for the next two days.  At present, the suggestion is that we MAY get a short window tomorrow but no chance for Friday.  Let’s hope the weather doesn’t read the forecast again – it’s all to play for!