On Wednesday, August 6, 2014 1:57:31 PM UTC-7, Sean Fidler wrote:

So, in this case, it is obviously not the weather that resulted in the 3 massive 30 mile radius Turn Area
task, nor is it the handicap range (LS-3 or Discus is lowest I think).

Center of the first turnpoint was inside a line of OD and rain and sits at the far end of a pretty high escarpment that is 20 x 50 miles and totally unlandable except for the airport at the turnpoint on the far side (Wayne Wonderland). Second turnpoint (Milford) was in the clear. Third turnpoint (Delta) was 25 miles into a blue hole in the desert. Around 20x60 miles in the center of the task area was a giant mass of OD with rain and lightening. The exact location of the OD was not predictable with any certainty at time of launch.

The tasking in general appeared to be into the best weather - most everywhere else was OD'd or blue. As I write this the sky is full of thunderstorms in most directions as far as the eye can see and then some.

Maybe not a poster-child for Assigned Task racing, meteorologically speaking. You might've been able to call an AST but the landout/abandon rate would've been pretty high unless you got lucky with all the widespread OD. Even with a much shorter task you would have had a decent chance of sending the fleet into driving rain or the blue over open desert. High desert weather can be unpredictable because it's so dynamic. On a non-monsoon day Nephi can support some awesome Assigned Tasks.

15-Meter Nationals will be here in 2016. Should be fun. Put on some 15 meter tips and give it a shot.

Task sheet pic - couldn't resist a good troll. ;-)

Andy