On Sunday, October 11, 2015 at 11:09:08 AM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
I get stuck on the attitude of "giving up and heading for the
pattern".* What works for me is to keep trying until I must lower
the gear, turn base, and land.* There's no pattern (for me, at
least) when flying that low.* Pick a a touchdown spot early, on
airport or off, and work the lift until you feel that your touchdown
spot will soon become out of reach.* Maybe you'll drift to a
location where there's another safe landing spot, maybe not.* The
comfort comes from developing that feeling for the glider and its
response to your input.

This is a practice that may work for you, but is anywhere from a little unsafe to really dangerous for others.
How does the guy flying a regular pattern deal with these antics?
There are many good reasons to know when to stop soaring and start landing, the top of the list being you are much less likely to crash.
Dan may make it work for him but I'm on record as saying it is bad practice and sets a terrible example.
UH