We are now well into our second week of above average temperature, hot windless days, but hope is on the horizon! A BIG change in pattern is about to happen, with a big low pressure system off Alaska, poised to throw us some cold fronts around the middle of next week. The first storm is expected on Tuesday afternoon, while the second system will hit us on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) or Friday. Although strong winds are not forecast, there are normally localised strong winds accompanying the fronts. The big concern for us is how much moisture and precipitation will also be brought by this system. Forecasts are mixed, with some saying most of the moisture will be lost in California, while other predict rain deep into southern Nevada. Although very heavy rains are uncommon, Las Vegas did record 0.6 inches on one day on November 30th 2007, so it is not out of the question. All we can do is try to utilise any wind before any showers hit us. If it does start to rain, we need to get off the lake ASAP, before the hard dry clay turns to mud!

The flip side of the having a week or two of no wind is that I have been able to finish a large number of jobs and perfect any snagging systems. I have also built a new faring on the front pod, to remove a turbulent zone behind the front wheel and help deflect stones that were being flicked up by the front tyre and on to the canopy.

I have installed a new GPS system, called a Driftbox, kindly donated from Race Logic, that is not only super accurate, it also measures the exact sideslip angle (drift) and records all the information onto a flash card for analysis later. The cockpit is pretty cramped, so it is tucked away behind the hydraulic steering system and and can just be seen through the steering wheel.

Simon Fitzerald from BHP Sport (Greenbird film crew) is now here with me, providing very welcome company. Should the weather play its hand, Simon will be capturing any action on the very latest Sony HD equipment. He has already spent a couple of days rigging the Greenbird with an array of recording equipment and miniature cameras, to get the vital on-board shots, which will hopefully give you an idea of what it is like to drive this crazy machine!

Watch the weather, pray for wind, and no rain!

Well, the good news is that our film crew, BHP Sport are here and filming in earnest with the very latest Sony HD equipment. Early footage looks stunning and they will be posting Video blogs here shortly. Simon and the crew from BHP are great friends of the project and have been filming progress since the early days in 2001.

The bad news, is that it is raining, hard! Not sure how much has fallen so far but we will get accurate measurements from our rain collectors in the morning. We will then have to reassess the situation
and how this has affected the drying time, sailable area,  etc.

Today was another tuning and tweaking day, with stall tests on the main wing and tail flap angle adjustment for starting. Wool tufts are stuck to the wing to visualise flow and show when stall occurs. Even though real operating speeds are much faster than these static tests at low wind speeds, the results should be fairly linear.

Simon and Andy from BHP battling the rain...

Temporary wool tufts to visualise flow...

Rain radar - not looking good!