Pompey Mick

Fantastic flying in those conditions, you beat our velocities from Kingsdown.

British Barcelona Club up at 8.15 Sennen Cove, fresh easterly, keep your eyes open Redfox. What,s the wind like in Looe.

I don't know about Cornwall .David, but the wind map is giving 25mph Easterly for Portland.

Solent Fed away at 7.30 at Kingsdown into a brisk east wind & cold with it. I would have liked a bit more warmth in the air before lib as a lot of the YB's are a bit scruffy.

Portsmouth 07.30, high cloud, blue sky, needs to warm up a bit, light easterly breeze.

The Solent is at Kingsdown, and the B.B.C. is at Sennen Cove, I've sent three to the BBC, anyone know what the total birdage is?

I am praying for anything but a SE wind for the BBC Sennen Cove.

Ray, I did not wish to detract from the winners in this race, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Open winner and all the Section winners ,my own club member won Sec B and I was the first to congratulate him. I was just making the point that the race from Chale, being where it is, was going to be more influenced by the wind than a normal National lib site where there is a more common line-of-flight, and in my opinion Sennen Cove would have provided this.

That's just up my street Ace, and I would like to thank everybody for their help and advice on this subject, I'm glad I asked the question.

THIS RACE HAS JUST EMPHASISED WHAT A POOR CHOICE CHALE WAS. THE WIND WAS GOING TO BE THE ONLY WINNER. THE 180 DEGREE SPLIT OF THE RACE CONVOY WAS ALWAYS GOING TO MEAN THAT SOME WOULD GET IT EASY AND SOME WOULD GET IT HARD. AT LEAST WITH SENNEN COVE THE CONVOY ONLY HAD A 45 DEGREE SPLIT WHICH GAVE MORE MEMBERS A CHANCE TO COME INTO THE EQUATION. JUDGING BY THE ENTRIES SECTION D THOUGHT LESS OF CHALE THAN SENNEN COVE AS WITH ALL THE SOUTH COAST SECTIONS, THIS WAS PURELY AN ECONOMIC DECISION AND NO THOUGHT WAS GIVEN TO THE QUALITY OF THE RACE,JUST THE NUMBERS.

17.05, still no news on the website of the NFC Chale, mind you the pre-lib news was chaotic, 13.24 'bird will be liberated in the next 35mins' 14.04 'convoyer is cutting the strings pigeons should be up in 20 mins' 14.35 pigeons liberated at 14.25, six minutes later birds were crossing my loft. I think the lib time could have easily been given out BEFORE liberation and not ten minutes after since there were fanciers flying less than 20mls competing. I was monitoring the website every minute because I was hoping to see competing birds crossing over my loft.

NFC up at 14.25 birds over my loft (18mls) at 14.41 . Bright & Sunny here in Portsmouth with a very strong WSW wind

Here in Portsmouth 07.30 much the same as the other coastal reports, wet, windy & total overcast with no sign of an imminent change

After another seasons racing with a rag bag kit of YBs, even the early breds are moulting round the head, I have decided to give the darkness system a go next season. Any recommendations for Videos, DVDs or books on the subject?

Just looked at the Exeter webcam, total heavy cloud and raining at 14.07

YOU'RE RIGHT ANDY, SOLENT ARE HELD AT YELVERTON.

This is a recurring query re photo downloads, perhaps Webmaster could put a sticky thread on the Website News & Views forum where members who have recently obtained a digital camera could go to and get advice.

Had to sign in this morning, never had to do that before, been so long since I enrolled I had to get a new password as I had forgotten my original one.

Any sign of it clearing down your way Andy? I'm with the Solent at Yelverton nr Plymouth 135 mls to me in Portsmouth.

I must admit that I didn't know until I was told it was mentioned on the local TV yesterday Rose, but I easily checked it out on the Airshow website.

Here in Portsmouth 09.45 Overcast with shower clouds, wind slowly strengthening, recent rain

NFC are held at Chale but will they have to be held until Monday due to the Isle of Wight air show? It would seem to have been another rash decision by the NFC committee. On 2/3 September, the Island's skies will be filled with around 50 aircraft as it celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Schneider Trophy Air Race at Bembridge Airport.

Will the National give prior notice of liberation so that the shortest flyers can get ready? A lot of members will be looking to clock in under 30mins.

Solent Fed at Yelverton, I am giving NFC Chale a miss, 18mls , the Solent can be treacherous this time of year.

Has the Chale race been the economic success the NFC hoped for? The South Coast sections have not responded with a total of 261 young birds sent between Secs A,B,C & D.and most of them are Gold Ring pigeons. I can't help feeling that Sennen Cove would have attracted more birds and kept a lot more NFC members happy. When I said on an earlier thread that the NFC needed to do something extra special in the Young Bird National to keep disgruntled members in the club that last thing I envisaged was a change of Racepoint to Chale.