Awesome paragliding XC gaggle flying and UK PB’s

Wow what a flight, and I shared it with a great bunch of XC hounds from the Southern Club (SHGC). “I’ll just pop down to Caburn for a flight before it gets too windy” was what I told my partner when I said I would like a fly that Saturday morning in July. “I’ll stay local so I won’t spend hours driving over to Milk Hill”.
I’d only got back from a week at Steve and Puri’s ‪@flypiedrahita‬ the Sunday before, had had a busy week in work, and done very little prep. No water bladder, no pee tube and not even my 360’ camera.

I launched at 10am with what seemed like half the club in the air, at the little 420’ top to bottom SW site east of Lewes. It was crowded, the early thermals broken, and I can’t say I enjoyed the 3D Dodgems in those conditions. You never fly XC from the ground, so I grimaced and stuck with it until it got stronger. Thankfully this didn’t take long and there was soon some more predictable structure and wider separation to the flying, and I got more comfortable. I’d flown my previous UK PB of 50 km from Caburn in 2019 where I’d left low in a gaggle, and when faced with the decision of going over the back with others, or back out front, I didn’t hesitate. It was the right call as I was in company and because the ground drops off behind the hill meaning you’ve more altitude.

Some productive gaggle flying ensued as we left the hill at 1600’, and were only at 2000’ an hour and 10km later. Once north east of the gliding club at Ringmer conditions improved, and we were soon up at cloudbase at 3300’ and getting faster. After some cloud surfing I pushed out on my own for a while, skirting a blue hole but going too quickly as it was still early. This almost put me on the deck at Burwash where I got down to 750’ and had to work hard for ten minutes to rescue my flight. I was kicking myself as I could see the gaggle behind me patiently working lift at about 1000’. I’d enjoyed the flight so far, so chilled, turned in zeros and thought “up” thoughts, finally climbing out with a big smile on my face.

Thirty km turned to forty, then to fifty as we neared Tenterden, my previous UK PB, where we found a climb together and then approached Ashford. The climb I had there with James W (777 Rook) was the best, at over 4m/s in places and we flew over the town at base, looking down at the long queue of HGV’s on the M20. I really should have slowed down here again and taken stock though as the way ahead was dark, whereas it looked brighter a little to the north.
It was pretty cool seeing the Thames Estuary for the first time from the air, less cool seeing a light aircraft performing aerobics a few km ahead! James W and I booted it it downwind and in sink to Wye where we landed next to a small train station, but the gaggle flying slightly to the north flew on. Whilst we W were settling into a pint and burger at The Tickled Trout in Wye, of the twelve of us who left the hill the results were:

Yves landed near Cranbrook, Brian G just before Ashford, Pete I at Ashford. Jon E, Mark R together just before Canterbury, with Ash B just after. Dan C was also near there. Sam T and James C did over 100 km and almost to Margate, whilst Andrew K and of course Hugh went all the way. I think we all won that day though with an amazing flight and shared experience.

It was fun to meet the guys on the train back, and a big thanks to James for giving Ash and I a lift from Glynde station back to Caburn.