The FAI Paragliding Cross-Country European Championship started on September 2nd in St-André-les-Alpes, France. Dennis Pagen, President of the Jury, wrote to us...

We arrived in St. Andre with perfect timing. There has been a serious drought in southeast Europe, so we scheduled a competition and brought much-needed rain. Yesterday was registration and the opening ceremony. It actually cleared a bit in the afternoon, and most competitors took the opportunity to catch an hour or two of flying, so there is no weather stress as yet. Since then it has rained chats and chiens and today, the first scheduled day of competition has been cancelled.

Last evening we had a parade with pilots in their sassy native dress, followed by obligatory speeches by the local politicians. Then we had a party in the town centre which got us mingling with the locals and enjoying the French culture. That's why we come to these events, isn't it? Oh, of course there's the flying, and if all is right with the universe it will clear and the race will be on. While we enjoy the village and the local color, we are waiting for a chance to show our colors.