Wow. Just wow. What a great weekend. Just epic soaring conditions. Amazing camaraderie & many more hooked new JAG's! Both days sporting average climbs of 5kts to 8,000'QNH under CU filled skies.

Saturday the 15th September. With the sky looking soarable from 09:30, both James 'Dutters' Dutschke, Lisa Turner and I looked skyward while preparing our gliders madly. James arriving from BNE & requiring a rig of his newly acquired Open Libelle. Lisa just going with the flow I think, and myself finishing up the weighing of W3 to finalise the Form2.

We finally get airborne with a declared task of Tansey - Ban Ban X - Kingaroy. Which was later modified in flight to return home via Kumbia to give a total task length of 240km. Ivan being the gentleman he is, decided to return from his task to race around ours - calling before start 8kt climbs around to 7,000' for memory.

Weak climbs in the Kingaroy area though, we were slow to climb. 2kts was all that was around, so slowly we spiralled to the wisps. All together in the start cylinder we naturally set off at 13:05(!). Both of the first two climbs, 4.5kts we ease into the task nicely. All talking together on routing options, we decided to overfly Wondai and link up to a highway (street) to the first turn. The smiles fast growing, the speeds pushing up. 89:1 for a 34km glide at 75kts - before coring 7.5kts for a 1000'.

Around the 1st turn, we take a detour to top up before heading into the slightly higher countryside. Before bouncing along with a couple of 5kt climbs. Dutters, Lisa and I all working nicely together. All sharing the lead and picking nice climbs. Around the 2nd turn, we take a slightly more curious approach. The sky in the Ban Ban area has some spread out. Once we're up and running though, we come up to a big decision point. Lots of discussion, conversing with Ivan up ahead - we somehow managed to split up, due to some miscommunication I suppose.

Lisa and I down the Kingaroy valley, Dutters going direct into the lighter CU. We note the time, it's time to slow down and be a little more cautious. We all manage to link back up together approaching Kumbia, working nice lines of energy in the potentially approaching sea breeze. Onto final glide, easy.

Thanks very much to Lisa whom provided some valuable coaching advice during the flight, had a great time!

W3's stats for the day: 240km @ 111.03km/hr; 5.1kt (20%) climbs; 41:1 for 16.4km glides at an average cruise speed of 77kts. Flying 5km extra in task deviations.

Sunday the 16th September. Learning from yesterday, and looking at XCSkies - I thought the day would be soarable from 09:30. With 9 or more gliders making it to the grid at 09:25 - it was sure to be a good day. The task planned on the grid, thanks to HK & BB - was a fantastic one for the today. Though with the sky we saw, we could've gone anywhere and had a ball. 8kt climbs around (if you jagged one) with 8,000' under CU.

I launched first at 10am, with Dutters, Rhys Porter & Lisa Turner soon to follow - I'd climbed easily to 4,500' in 2kts. The whole local area was peppered with small CU, each of them were working. Once we were all up together, there wasn't going to be any waiting around for the big wings (VIT, HK, BB).

The task: Cecil City - Chinchilla - Murgon - Kingaroy = 406km

The first leg was rather pleasant and uneventful, crossing the bunya's with ease. Up ahead from Bell onwards, the sky over Dalby to Cecil city looks like it's going to rain! Staying high, we use the energy lines where we can - running the downwind edge of the clouds. James and I take one weak climb to stay connected, before putting the running shoes back on. Lisa had taken a route more Dalby way, cruising along nicely I saw.

Turning for Chinchilla, across wind now. There were no real classic streeting options to go for, so just one cloud after another. I made an error, chasing some CU's to the west of track - before finally getting into the lower height bands again and having to diverge back towards the original direct track (out landing options to allow me to drive low if need be). Dutters and I had gotten split up prior to the 1st turn, so I radioed to him that it'd be best to race down the direct track.

We manage to get back together overhead Kogan, was great to see you off my wingtip then mate! Sadly though, it wasn't to last, after just 5 minutes of cruising we were separated enough to have to fly our own races for a while. I jagged a 7.9kt climb just around the Chinchilla turn, before blasting off at cloud base.

From here, is where the fun really began. Long streets were starting to line up, the key - get nice climbs just before connection and it was all systems go. Miss the first climb, things could've got interesting. Why? The terrain wasn't to friendly. Thankfully it was all in our favour, as we bounced along close to base - linking some nice lines together. I was busy calling routing options and climb rates, almost pulling James back from a 3,000' difference from prior to Chinchilla.

One final cloud approximately 20km from Murgon, it was all blue for sometime. 60kts. 35:1 for 30km before I finally pull into a 4.6kt climb overhead Wondai - marked by Rhys Porter, cheers mate! I'm on final glide, James just 300' below me, he's on a 4.5kt MC glide too! XC speed pushing up, the sky is going up, what a final glide - fast!

W3's Stats for the day: 406km @ 94.19km/hr; 4.5kt (21%) climbs; 54:1 for 16.7km glides at an average cruise speed of 68kts; covering an extra 29km in deviations.

Wow. Just Wow. Saturday fun level was 10/10; Sunday satisfaction level was 10/10. Both extremely good days, though totally different in how we saw them.