SB to Ojai

From: Chris P.
Activity_Date: 4/28/02
Remote Name: 130.221.113.74

Comments

Launched from Skyport at 10:30, tried to get up over the antenna farm, but kept hitting cloudbase at 3400. I thought I should have had more to head east, but Tom Pipkin and Ojai John were going for it, so I followed them. Compared to the day everyone went downrange last month progress felt a lot slower, but the low cloudbase and clear blue sky made for spectacular views.

I had the first of several low saves behind Castle Ridge where I was trying unsuccessfully to work up a spine. Chad was passing through and suggested trying the castle. I scraped over the top with only about 50 feet, but a boomer took me straight back to cloudbase.

After the power line crossing I regained sight of Tom Pipkin, who had gotten very low in front of White Ledge and looked like he was setting up to land on Chismahoo road. I was on the same glide path as him and didn’t see any way out, but at the last minute he somehow got back up, so I headed for his thermal. We flew together for a while, but midway down White Ledge ridge, I made the mistake of tracking a thermal slightly back over the top and realizing I couldn’t get back in front. Went down the rest of the ridge slightly over the back, facing south and sinking down and east.

Came in to the Nuthouse with 1500, and was saved this time by Ojai John, who pointed out the thermal coming from the brown field in the middle of the riverbed. After that, my radio died, but I climbed up over the Nuthouse, across Nordhoff ridge, and over to Twin Peaks before landing at McAndrew field at 2:30. Chris G. and Chad were right there with a retrieve.

Took a few pictures, but was reluctant to take my hands off the brakes long enough to aim the camera in those conditions: http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/paragliding/4_28_2002.htm