About fifty pilots into goal in the end. It was a fantastic finish for the spectators with so many guys just barely making it across the line and several not making it across, but just into the field. We heard late in the day that two pilots had gone into the trees between the 3rd and 4th turnpoints where there were apparently no landings. Both are fine.
Amazing day for OB. It's so exciting standing in the goal field watching a lone glider come in from the distance wondering who it is that will be first in for the day. When I realized it was OB, all I could think was how ecstatic and proud Rob would be if he could have been here to see that. I was with him at goal in Texas two years ago when Kevin Carter came in first the first day of the worlds. Turns out Kevin had taken the earliest start, so he didn't win the day, but Rob was beside himself. He was always such a proud Wills Wing father.
Heartbreaking first day for Carl. We spotted one glider low, looking like he might make it, might not. Couldn't tell who it was, but just kept praying "please don't let it be Carl, please don't let it be Carl." When we could finally tell he was going to be short of the line by just a few meters at most, he went upright to land and I could see the yellow on his speed sleeves and knew for sure then that it was him. Although he was crushed, he always keeps a good attitude and tried to warn the others by radio that they had to have a 5 to 1 glide to get into the headwind at goal. We sat at headquarters until 11pm with the scorekeepers looking at his backup GPS's hoping maybe one would show him across the line. Turns out he was just about a meter short...how painful is that! Curt Warren, Blay and Filippo Oppici and several others were also in the goal field but just short of the line.
Here he is trying to get another few meters out of his Litespeed.
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