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.

Ivanpah becomes a wet lake

Was woken up this morning at 4.30 am, to the sound of rain on the window. Two hours of pretty good downpour flooded most of the lake, but, all is not as bad as it seems. There area has been exceptionally dry for the last few years and most of this should be absorbed in the next day or two. Some wind is forecast for the weekend, so we are hoping it is going to be dry by Friday.

For now the lake is closed, with the Greenbird marooned on the edge. Hopefully we will be able to get back to it tomorrow, and download the data from the weather station, to see exactly how much rain fell during the night.

As long as no more rain falls, we should still be able to test on the weekend.

Closed due to rain

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!

Here’s a couple of photos of our first test run on dirt in light winds (13-20 mph) at Ivanpah the other day. Fingers crossed for a bit more of a breeze during the predicted shift in weather system next week.

Now fully set up at Ivanpah. Another day in the hot sun, ironing out any last glitches and fitting a few new systems. No wind forecast today, and until 2pm that was the case, absolutely nothing.

Then, from nowhere, the wind set in blowing 18-25 mph, almost instantly, and I was not ready!

These are not record wind speeds, but very good testing winds. I worked frantically to finish the hydraulics and bleed the system and finally got the wheel covers on at about 3pm.

Pushed it out on to the playa and sure enough, the wind meter was now reading 13 mph, where it stayed till sunset (our self starting threshold is 18 mph of true wind).

Typical. However this is the nature of the desert, sometimes a good forecast does not materialise, and other times a nothing forecast suddenly becomes good for an hour.

There is a better forecast for tomorrow, so hopefully, we will get some runs in.

Arrived today at Ivanpah after the weekend gathering supplies and tools. I did not expect to be back here now, when I left the ice craft up in Montana, so I left a lot of crucial spares and tools with the ice yacht and have had to duplicate a lot of that stuff now unfortunately.

However, I should get my lake permit this morning so setting up this afternoon on the lake. A lovely sunny day and some wind forecast for Friday Saturday so a good opportunity for an initial test.

I have got a 3g card for my computer, so I have fast internet direct from the lake, which will prove invaluable no doubt.

Setting up by myself, so might take a little longer than normal, but hopefully send pics this afternoon.