Well, once the lake was dry enough to get back to the camp, it was very clear that it was going to take at least another few days, for it to dry enough to be able to run. With no wind forecast for the next week, we are simply out of time for this test window. Rain is not uncommon for this time of year, so it is not a huge surprise, but normally the rain is accompanied by wind in advance of the fronts and I was hoping to be able to utilise this wind before the rain stopped play. Unfortunately, the system that dropped this water, was a very slow moving low, without any significant pressure gradients, so unusually, it managed to rain without any wind in advance. All very annoying!

However, despite the lack of wind, I did get one day of sailing in, clocking 60 mph in light wind. Although this is only a fraction of the vehicle’s potential, it was fast enough to demonstrate that everything is working perfectly. My concerns over the rear suspension on the bumpy surface was unfounded and that gives me a lot of confidence for the next weather window in March.

As all the landsailors had disappeared after the Nalsa regatta washout, I dismantled the Greenbird by myself, which is always a challenge, but after a long day, it is all safely back on the trailer, and off the lake. The craft will be stored locally over the winter, and be ready for the next land record opportunity in March.

The next challenge for us is going to be the ice record in Montana in January.