Gulls and chickens

Andrew Craig's picture
Submitted by Andrew Craig on 17 January, 2013 - 19:45.
Flight diary details
Date of Flight: 
17 Jan 2013
Takeoff site: 
Beachy Head
Wing Type: 
Paraglider
Wind Direction: 
SSE
Wind Strength: 
10-15mph
Sky: 
Cu
Thermic activity: 
Large
Pilots present: 
10-20

Confronted by another icy and still morning at Bo Peep, and having heard of Wednesday's excellent morning on the cliffs, I arrived at Beachy about 1015. Ian and Simon soon turned up, reinforcing my faith that I was in the right place, but we had a long wait in a breeze just short of scratchy. Occasionally gulls and even crows taunted us by thermalling up. Finally, about 1315, Simon demonstrated that it was possible to join the gulls; Franco and I followed, and then half a dozen more.

The wide, smooth thermals just got better and better. Ian pushed way out front, Franco explored over the back. Eventually I did the same, reaching 2000 and then 2500 ASL in beautiful lift up to 1.7 m/s on the averager, almost 3 on the instant. Franco came to join me as I pushed inland; I tried to persuade him to join me in a downwind dash along a promising cloud street, as I topped out at over 2800. Sensibly he pushed back to launch, and after a bit of dithering, I did the same. I feared that I might not make it, but with bootfuls of bar it was comfortable.

Gandhi later explained that I might have done best to head along the coast eastwards, keeping within the sea thermals, as there surely weren't going to be any decent climbs inland. Next time -- if there's ever another January day like that one.

XC flight details
XC Flight Type: 
Flat Triangle
Launch coordinates: 
50.736346,0.256086
Turnpoint 1 coordinates: 
50.733636,0.240897
Turnpoint 2 coordinates: 
50.764287,0.252954
Landing coordinates: 
50.736346,0.256086
Witness details: 
Turnpoints taken from KML file
Distance claimed: 
7
Flight started: 
In Sussex
»

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John Templeton's picture

Sea thermals

Submitted by John Templeton on 18 January, 2013 - 15:47.

Here in Varkala, Kerala, South India, the Sea Eagles are thermalling several hundred yards out to sea. Otherwise they are soaring along the cliffs with the occasional Ukrainian paraglider scraping along above the cliff top palm trees. But it is slightly warmer than Beachy, at 32 C and the sea like a warm bath. surfing is good though!

Andrew Craig's picture

If it's 32 degrees on land,

Submitted by Andrew Craig on 18 January, 2013 - 16:25.

If it's 32 degrees on land, and the eagles are thermalling over the sea, how hot is the sea?

John Templeton's picture

kerala sea temp

Submitted by John Templeton on 19 January, 2013 - 05:39.

It is supposedly 28 C, so maybe the air temperature does not reach 32 C until later in the day. Sea breeze starts about 11 - 12 for cliff soaring. God it is hot! Looking forward to a nice frost.

John Templeton's picture

kerala sea temp

Submitted by John Templeton on 19 January, 2013 - 05:39.

It is supposedly 28 C, so maybe the air temperature does not reach 32 C until later in the day. Sea breeze starts about 11 - 12 for cliff soaring. God it is hot! Looking forward to a nice frost.

beachy at its best

Submitted by david newns on 17 January, 2013 - 21:19.

I have not seen a day like today for a long time. Sea thermals all over the place and sunny too. A convergence line of an increasing southerly against the remenants of a land breeze or south easterly. Its a weird feeling thermalling at dusk with the street lights coming on in Eastbourne. You could push out to sea and chase thermalling gulls lower down. The swell does lure you out further and further. There is something special about thermalling over the ocean. Could of been wave from france ? ;-)

Ghandi