Sunday 12/22/2013 [Weather] and [Flight Articles] by  [Aaron] & [Sundowner]
Flight Articles by Tim Barker on [Friday 12/20]  & [Saturday 12/21]

Tim Barker
Saturday, 12/21/2013

Article Copied from: http://scpa.info/bb/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2979

Inverted Solstice
by timobarker » Sun Dec 22, 2013 6:20 am

Arrived a Parma at 10:30 to meet Johnny B, Malcolm, Bob A, David, Steve from Wood Rat and Nick, a local photographer. We piled into a couple of cars and cruised up to Sky Port. By the time we arrived, 11:30ish, cycles were wafting in regularly and you could see the convergence of our thermal block mixing with a light North wind up higher.
I was off just after 12:00. I was heading toward RR a couple of minutes later 200+ feet above Sky port. I had a decent glide to RR and came in above the second spine of rocks. I started working that spine when rather suddenly I realized that the cloud based had pushed down upon. I was pegged against the mountain in sunshine, with clouds in all directions. I was able to hang onto the second spine for about 10 minutes. Then the inevitable happened and I glided South!
....I was over the holy hills, round house spine intersection, in the perfect position to transfer over to the Round House. I flew well above the round house without a bump and found lift to cloud base on the East Side of the Antennae Farm. I went East to try my luck at Parkers. I found a bump or two, but nothing that inspired me to go anywhere else.
I met the gang back over the Monastery. We had light lift to play with over the community. We probed over the Riviera too. Finally Malcolm, Bob and I sunk out. Jonny B somehow found lift over the community to cloud base (23-2400) and made it to the beach.
Overall it was a beautiful way to celebrate the shortest day of the year.