Day 3 - Task 3 ( or 2.5 ;) )
We woke up to a cloudy sky ( though not so cloudy as yesterday ) and after a weather check, breakfast and then 2nd breakfast we arrived at the start to the usual early morning backwind.
Its starting to look & feel like Rolda again after weeks of dry hot conditions.

Day 3 Briefing #3!

The task setting was in various stages as we refined, shortened and then shortened again due to the lack of sun and excess of water falling from the sky.
Finally, we decided on a 77km race with goal in Tuluá Airport.

I knew it was going to be a stressy day from a Meet Directors perspective when the base dropped in the East and so did the rain.
We positioned ourselves ahead of the leading gaggle in La Paila as a few drops fell, but it was veerrrrry shortlived and the gaggle passed us in clear air on the course line in the valley.
After a while pilots started calling about rain to the east of the course line but most on the line or west of it were contradicting the reports.
To cut a long and slightly stressful afternoon's story to its basic facts, I let the task run since the contradicting reports from pilots in the air in conjunction with what I was experiencing on the ground were so far apart that stopping was not appropriate. Some disagree with me, some agree and claim it was the most boring non-event of a flight they have ever experienced. To those who are unhappy, sorry, but I can only work with the info I have ( much of which was undecipherable and incomplete) and far more was pointing to personal decisions as opposed to the task route.

One thing I have realised  in this job is that I can never please all of the pilots all of the time, but the opinions of those I respect are the most important. Sometimes I will get it wrong, but today it seems that most were in agreement that there was no real reason to stop due to the very localised ( though at times reportedly heavy ) rain in the general area of the task.

Provisionally, Aaron & Michi are the winners after climbing out in a caña fire that died before the group could reach it  ...  but all could change with leadout points!

EDIT: results here

Hasta manaña ... y espero que tenemos un dia con sol, cielos azules y fluffy clouds!