Hiccups

Every now and then a day comes along which just seems 'ornery (as they say in the States). Today started SE but with a hot NW day forecast it did not take too long for the wind to switch (and it was NW at 3000ft a lot earlier). The quality of the air (feels like hiccups!) was such that it was very broken and turbulent on Waaihoek, and after getting rough treatment Grove Steyn (GIG) decided to call it a day.

Otto (TR) and Alan (X32) pushed through Tulbagh to the front ridge, but a small frontal system moving south (clearly marked by a wall of dust) was bringing in northerly wind which caused the front ridge to be very weak. Alan visited Jonkershoek and thanks to Otto's warning of the front giving problems at Saronberg, avoided what would have been landout 5/5 by jumping over the back just south of Voelvlei. Excellent wave at Jan du Toits and Slanghoek (coupled, in FACT, with obliging controllers) allowed a climb to FL180 in very little time and a beautiful run down to beyond Franschoek and back up to SandHills.

Interestingly, at 19h00 when a lot of fly-in traffic was landing at Swellendam they were still using 15!