Task 5 Llano

Task 5 is now officialy the longest task in Mexico history at 101km. We started with a 3km cylinder around Three Kings then tag the turnpoint after. Next was all flatland flying for awhile. Out to Lapila and then all the way to Llano. From llano we had to come back to the Wall and launch and run across the mesa to Saucos back to Iglesia and goal at San Ramon. The day was a little strange. A gaggle formed over launch as usual before tanking up a little to cross to the Penon as is the norm. But today there was a big flush at launch and most of this gaggle found themselves way below launch for while before they could get something and climb enough to make the crossing. This was all before the start of course. Getting to the Wall there was a bunch of SW wind and not much lift. Lots of pilots found themselves scratching at the Wall for a while also before getting up and heading over to the start. The air seemed more violent than all the other days mostly because the wind was much stronger. Once established at cloudbase around 11,200ft the start was on. After tagging the start and the TP is was a mass exodus to Lapila around 12km across the flats. The air out there was strange, it seemed like the glider was just kind of pinwheeling above your head in a thermal and not really turning in a controlled manner. And the wind direction was coming from every which way you were gliding towards. A nice gaggle over Lapila before pilots headed about 20km South to Llano. The winds were buffeted the ridge in the back when most everyone arrived but lots of people dirting around there because of the winds. A slight tailwind back to launch and the clouds were setting up over the Mesa finally and weather improved. From then on it was cloud flying over the Mesa out to Saucos back to Iglesia and then San Ramon. I think a German pilot got to goal first on a prototype Nova. That's all the news I have for the day.
SM