The met briefing predicted a 1300 clearance of the cloud. Supported by satellite pictures of an obvious edge between the morning's overcast and the anticipated clear and thermic skies skies approaching fast, an orderly grid formed. Competitors massed around the parked fleet at the south end of the Mynd, gazing upwind for the marked change in the skies they had been promised. 

They waited. A call to the deputy met-wife upwind confirmed that it was sunny on the Cheshire plain. So they waited some more, looking for glimpses of blue. One was spotted, and even the most pessimistic [you know who you are] started to believe. Then the blue went and came and went again. 

At 14:30 it was decided that, with an anticipated 17:00 end to the day, it was too late to launch the fleet. The task was scrubbed at a grid rebrief, to be replaced by an informal 'duration' task. And so the day would end for some, as the task began for one.

Various aircraft launched and landed. The task setter took an early launch and decided it would be more interesting to try for duration on task and set off to fly the 137km variable barrel task without the need to speed. Halfway down the final leg, closing in on a final glide, he met LS4 288 about 25k from the finish. Both arrived back at the Mynd just before 6:30 as the sky died under a veil of very high cloud.  Unaware that the task had been scrubbed, 288 had raced around.