Mid week 3rd December 2013

Dying convergence on Garvies

We wanted to fly last Sunday but the strong cold southerly persisted and it was pretty uninviting. However we did rig (VB, KG, and LP) with the plan for mid week.
Tuesday looked stable and inversion-like but the day proved good in places (and difficult in others). Russell launched us from 2pm and we all got dropped into a nice fat thermal but we still wasted a valuable hour or so getting above the local inversion.

Vivienne flew local, John and Pete flew north. It was nearly completely blue and what clouds appeared did so late in the day, and topped out over 11,000' inland.  On the way north the Dunstans were eerily quiet, just a big climb at Leaning Rock then nothing til a save at the far northen end near St Bathans.

Pete flew 200km up towards Mt Cook before returning south and sqeeked home as the day died. John went to the head of the Ahuriri and back, plus had a look down the Garvies in the last of the lift while he kept in touch with Pete as he made his way home.

By the time re derigged it was 8pm so straight to the Post Office for beer and dinner.