Mis más sinceras condolencias a la famila y amigos de Eitel y Tato.

A good day for the classic run to Arcones with top  of the convection layer not much over 3000m for much of the course.  This will have simplified the problems of staying within the Notam area (max 3048m).   Following the  live tracking was pretty exciting at the end seeing that final glide in and also the route taken around various parts of the course to effectivly navigate the airspace.  Matts  Elisasson from Sweden was first in to goal.  A great result.  His training here during the Nationals a few weeks ago seems to have paid off.   Later we will see what GAP does to the scores.  This morning the parameters needed to be tweeked after we gave too much leeway to the Team Leaders on setting them.  The nominal distance is still way high for a pg event, though will make little difference for a task such as this.

One reserve incident with a tree landing with no injury to the pilot early on in the course near Las Marias (Navaescurial).

A classic day with Cu to just over 3000 and light NW winds.  Shame it was not a comp day. I set a short 66km course around the valley with a pre start point then start at the Wooden House.   The often flown course crossing and opening out towards the valley and goal in Piedrahita.   When I left goal there were around 50+ arrivals with more on their way.

My nerves are  quite  frazzled after the TL briefing over ran and our arrival at take off was delayed and hence pilots had to cope with the increasing wind at take off (Averaging 18km/hr, though with occational peaks to 33km/hr towards the end of launch Window).  One reserve deployment reported (with no further consequences) near the penulitmate turnpoint at Hoyoredondo, but reported quickly and effectively by a pilot in the air and almost simultaneously by Team Leaders from France and Switzerland before the parachute had even reached the ground.

No live tracking today.   Tomorrow we get going for real.

Nearly over now, just the evening meal with the pilots and dignitaries.  A particularly drawn out day for both teams and us with the many checks needed for entering this cat 1 event.  A particularly nice flag parade with paper fireworks and inagural speech by the Consejer de Castilla y Leon.  The weather looking pretty good for the week with Westerlies.   Lots of Notam homework for pilots and us comming up as we venture E of Avila.

Yesterday some practice flights went way into airspace and I recieved a certain amount of flack from the Sailplane club at Fuentemilanos.  Lets hope that is the last of that.

Most of our group bombed at the pass, but Ed and I carried on to Avila with around 2800m and some strong climbs and a 20km/hr wind.

The climbs were dramatic enought to fly a percentage back without turning, though wave and alto cu build up made things back towards the pass uglier by the minute.  Most of the comp wings were on the ground well before the return to the pass.  No evening flight as back winds.

A pleasant day with light winds and some strong climbs.  We followd the comp pack on their trianing around the hill for a bit, though with Peter bombing on an into wind leg NW of Piedrahita.  Ed (with us from today and from Greece) went over he pass to near Solosancho, and Ido and Mike towards Villafranca.  Once again nice reliable evening soaring.

Admin building up for the worlds and Paul Russell, my valued IT and solve it all man,  has hardly seen the light of day this week as he prepares us for the registration and the web reports next week.  We will have live tracking and a web cam at take off with tweets and blogs.  So for those who are interested in the Worlds, then it has perhaps never been so easy to follow.

A day with some Cirrus and altocumulus.  3 flights for the boys with just local flying but generally pleasant.   More teams arriving, and some of my team as well: Ali Gali and Calvo Burns.  Not just Paul and I now worrying and fretting about the impending Worlds in 4 days time.

During Sunday, our airport day, some flew to the border of Portugal.   Monday too windy, but today onkin bonkin stonkin.   I landed the tandem at 4.15  after winding down at 85km so the passenger,  Ido, whose gliders is stuck at customs, could have a pee and warm up.   An amazing sky ahead, though till then a most powerfull turbulent day.  Mike managed a twist on his Sport 4 in the Ambles valley.   Peter landed with me for his PB.   A day for over 200km on the tandem, and I am sure the 4 R11s ahead will have made near 300km.

The Worlds now getting very close with stress levels rising and too much to do.  Paul spent the day in the office today to try to get somewhere near on track for the weekend.

Due to 2 pilots pulling out at late notice, this previously fully booked week now has space for 2 pilots.   This is the start of the traditionally Epic period, with big conditions and potential.  For those specifically interested in XC rather than local thermal soaring.

A late start  and mainly blue except in the mountains.  The wind was so indistinct that it took us a while to decide to try the Pass and back.  Things really turned on when we reached Villafranca, with climbs by then going to 3000m and some climbs touching 5m/s.  Paul and I went to the plateau N of the pass, then ran back along the river to the NW of Piedrahita, before landing near home.

Very nice evening conditons and still some booming thermals near 8pm.  Myself (with a commercial tandem) and Martin managed a low save near the landing field taking us well back over launch height.

Looks like a good week ahead with some  potentially  big days.  We have had two pilots drop out at the last minute, so here is now some space if anyone is interested in this run up week to the Worlds.