Mother Nature played a trick on us today.  Actually, two tricks.

The first was an unpredictable patch of altostratus clouds that was just large enough to cover McMinn County and its airport right when we didn't need it: grid time. The delay it caused made it obvious that we would have no chance to complete our original 295 km and 260 km Racing Tasks.

The second trick was the wind.  It was forecast to be a factor during the day, but it turned out to be a major player in a game that took all day to complete, with the wind , not the pilots, emerging victorious. We attempted a pair of AATs whose first legs went south, directly into the 25-knot breeze, and very few made it to the first assigned area.

All but two outlanded or abandoned the Task and returned to McMinn.  Eight had the unique experience of outlanding at the home of the competition, Chilhowee Gliderport.  The grass runway at Chilhowee is still not ready for use, and all eight landed, as briefed, on the sod farm adjacent to the airfield.

Against all odds, two pilots, Jerzy Szemplinski (CAN) and Sean Fidler (USA) completed the 15 Metre Class Task. No one is sure how they did it, and we look forward to hearing their stories at Briefing tomorrow.  Despite their heroic flying, they have nothing to show for it on the scoresheet, as the competition day did not meet the minimum standards, in either class.

"International Night" is scheduled for tomorrow evening.  If anyone lands in the sod farm, they will be early to the party.