by : David John Mills

This FAI Category 2 event was held from 20 January to 27 January 2001 at Bright, Victoria, Australia.

A total of 73 pilots registered for the event and 72 actually competed.

The aim of the competition was for competitors to have fun, learn, win prizes, gain Austrailian national ladder points and/or WPRS ranking points.

Prizes offered were Aus $ 2000 in prize money donated by the Alpine and Star Hotels and many of the local Bright businesses. We also have $1500 off a Pro Design glider and $300 off a Pro Design harness donated by the Australian Paragliding Center, $1000 off a Firebird glider and a flying suit donated by Hign Adventure Airpark, 2 flying suits, T-Shirts, bumb bags and other paragliding gear donated by Gin Paragliders and SupAir (The PARAGLIDING CENTRE of S/E Qld).

The handicapping system divided all pilots into various competition grades. These were :

• Open A (same as overall placings) & B (B class pilots cannot be on an open class glider)
• Serial (DHV2-3 glider)
• Sports (DHV2, ACPUL standard or lower glider)
• Womens

Note: Prizes will only be awarded in categories if there are sufficient pilots in the category (see the Competition Manual section 3.8.2)

The Chief Organisers of the competetion were David Mills, Andrew Kemp and Gavin Hanlon.

The local rules for the pilots were as follows :

Any pilot determined to be cloud flying or breaching airspace will be disqualified for the day on their first offence and disqualified from the competition on their second.

Breaches of air space incur the same penalties.

Any pilot smoking on launch or in any paddock will be penalised 100 points for first offence, disqualified for the most recent scoring day or 300 points which ever is the greater on second offence and disqualified from the competition on third offence.

Failure to pin-in or notify the organisers of your safety prior to the end of pin-in time incurs the same penalty as smoking.

We present herewith a day-by-day report by David Mills :

Day 1 (20 January) : The forecast the day before had suggested poor weather for the first day improving thereafter. But Saturday proved flyable. The task set was a 45.6 elapsed time air start race to goal from Mystic to Harrietville via Clear Spot, Peet's house and Porepunkah bridge. 12 made goal.

Day 2 (21 January) : The day dawned clear, but stengthening winds were forecast. By midday the wind was strong and showing signs of getting even stronger. The day was cancelled.

Day 3 (22 January) : Monday was heavily overcast and never cleared. Eventually the day was cancelled.

Day 4 (23 January) : Tuesday started overcast but had largely cleared by 11am. At 12 it was decided to go up the hill and try for a task. The weather held and a task was set. A staggered start race from Mystic to the Mytic landing paddock via Purepunkah Airstrip, Peet's house, Mystic landing paddock, Smoko, back to Mystic landing paddock as goal. The early launches climbed well and set off on course. Then the cloud returned. Most other pilots failed to find much lift and bombed. No one made goal.

Day 5 (24 January) : The forecast was very gloomy and the day proved unusable. Periods of wind and rain.

Day 6 (25 January) : Thursday was much the same as Wednesday. Some of the rain particularly later in the day was especially heavy.

Day 7 (26 January) : The forecast was almost identical to the day before. The day was cancelled early.

Day 8 (27 January) : Depressingly the day started with rain. But by 9 it had started to clear. By the briefing at 9:30 it was already looking positive. Finally a clear day. With the recent rains many of the valley crossings would be difficult. So a cats cradle task where the ridges could be used was set. The task was an elpsed time air start via Porepunkah Hill, Freeburgh plantation, Clear Spot, Gunadoo, Porepunkah bridge to goal at the Porepunkah airstrip. 4 made goal. A great day to end a week of poor weather.

Final Results
(First Twenty Pilots)