Sunday the 18 th December started out looking ok but the  forecast was for increasing winds and showers later in the day. Craig rigged the ASH YJ and decided to self launch to try out the refurbished propeller and see if the wave was going. I declined his invitation to go along as I thought it looked rough and crappy and wasn't going to amount to more than rinsing in some Southwest rotor. Boy was I wrong. He took off at 11 am and five and a halve hours later he arrived back after covering 640 kms.

He went south and pushed out into Cook Strait until running up against the approaching front about halfway to Cape Campbell. Then turned North and cruised up into Hawkes Bay abeam Waipukarau where the wave petered out. Then back to the South Wairarapa Coast and Warrens Woolshed and then Hood.  So the day improved more than expected. The Dr Jack RASP forecast didn't even show wave.

He does wish he had thicker socks and some jeans on though as it was %$^#@ cold.

Lake Wairarapa is pretty prominent in the three photos below.

First photo is taken from out in Cook Strait looking up the Wairarapa. 

Second photo is abeam the south coast looking north with Lake Wairarapa just above the instrument coaming.

Third is taken abeam Mount Bruce looking south.

All at or around 22 thousand feet.