Logan Walters
Sunday, 3/3/2019

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Bates to Ventura

Article Submitted by Logan Walters

Bates is only a two min drive from my house so I often drive by and pull the wing out.  If its not blowing strong enough to launch I will practice kiting.  This day though was looking perfect.  Mostly south wind allowing some to fly west in front of Viola Fields.  There were a bunch of pilots in the air including brand new students that Mitch was working with . Brian Kaiserauer, Andrew Byron, Chris Garcia, and Mitch Riley all flew.  I did not find it very strong so opted to leave my glider bag behind, with my phone and tracker in, which was not smart but I thought I was staying local.  There were some nice clouds forming on Rincon Mountain and a low pressure system had just moved through.

Chris Garcia and I were over the point when I started to feel some thermal pull in the dynamic ridge lift.  I decided to push into it and make a 360, then Garcia joined and I was just behind him.  I watched as he fell out the front and made my turn just short of that gaining some extra altitude in the next 360.  I let it drift me a little deep over the freeway and initiated one more 360.  On the downwind leg I decided to give the ridge behind bates a go.  I had just returned from Nepal and my instrument was still in meters, I later found that I was at 594’, and found that to be plenty for my course line on  this low pressure day.  I did a couples turns directly behind launch before gliding over to the Gas Plant to turn around and see who was coming, no one yet.  I somewhat expected to land at La Cochita because there really wasn't too much wind, but I found nice lift marked by a bird above the little town (couple days later this spot saved me on my Skyport to Ventura flight).  It took me to cloud base which was really low.  I bumped and thermalled into the clouds at times showing up to Faria.  Not being very high because the clouds, I was a bit nervous that I might get spanked gliding to Solimar (in the rotor behind Faria). I went into the clouds and pointed downwind over the ocean.  One large surge later and I was through the turbulence and thermalling towards Solimar Peak which was in the clouds.

By this point Mitch, Andrew and Garcia had landed at La Conchita and were starting to hike up the brushy hill to relaunch.  They took the more strong wind day line gliding out over the ocean towards the Gas Plant.  I could not get much more altitude at Emma Wood so decided to take what I had and see how far I could go.  The IP6 is so awesome and helped me make it just over the Ventura Pier.  One turn into the wind and I set it down with a couple mph penetration.  With no phone or tracker or glider bag or wallet I used an onlookers phone to call Sarah (who was in Bishop) and asked if she could post on the chat where I was.  Shortly after, Dylan, one of Mitch’s students, showed up to drive me to Bates.

While coming around Faria I saw Garcia and Andrew soaring the face getting ready to make the jump.  I did not know that they had relaunched and was wondering if they had timed it better to be higher?  (later I learned it was pretty similar) Mitch was kiting on the beach in La Conchita, he was flying the boom for the first time in a while and its not the best glider to be close to the terrain in windy thermic conditions.  We then turned the van around and grabbed Garcia and Andrew at Emma Wood and finally Mitch at La Conchita.

It was a really special day for me.  The Rincon Coast  is a drive I do all the time to get to the Oxnard airport.  I grew up right here surfing these spots and thinking about this flight.  Its not very long but damn was it rewarding.

/ Logan

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