The night before, Jamie claimed it was going to be flyable tomorrow evening. So after work I set of for Mountbenger, it was pretty windy and even seemed to be W/NW...
It has been a good number of weeks since any flying has seemed possible so I had to tune my melted brain back into action.
Of course..Sundhope heights, that would work so I texted Dave Lyal who was on route, we met up and spoke with Duncan the farmer " Aye nae bother"...grand.
After we parked and observed the gale and Jamies sanity and other things!! we realised what a fantastic evening so we started walking up, the auld yin was doing just fine and we soon made the top to find a stiff breeze but in the perfect direction, so we hunkered down to wait it out.
Jamie appeared at the bottom and broke the land speed record getting up to us. things started to settle down and we were soon setting up 150 ft or so down in the bowl, it was still windy enough, Jamie had mislaid his gloves so he went without, I suggested he could use his socks, but he didnt seem to like this idea, maybe they were full of holes and he could not face the shame, I dont know. Chris had arrived and launched low down and I went of next making sure I pushed out away from the sucking bowl.
Lovely it was to be floating about again, the face off Sundhope in full colour in the evening sun.
The breeze had settled enough for us to fly about in perfect conditions and stayed perfect, it even picked up a bit later on, super smooth but too windy to risk a top landing, I did land near the top and it was tricky.
We flew until the sun went down and we flew a bit more then Jamie with tears in his eyes started on his fly down, it was more like a gentle sob rather than full on greeting...his hands frozen to the risers.
It is a great fly down at Sundhope, and I felt elation as I landed beside Jamie in the low light closely followed by the others.
Sorry for the long write up but it has been a little while since I have had an evening like that.
Jamies hands survived.
Tommy.
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