Arrival at Jihlava

Nové Mesto nad Metují is in the east of the Czech Republic, near the Polish border. The journey to Jihlava towing the team trailer took me about 3 hours to the southwest, mainly along small country roads and through some pretty towns and villages. Having stayed for lunch with Richard Meredith-Hardy, Rob Hughes and José Luis Esteban I left mid-afternoon and arrived at the airfield early eveing shortly after most of the British early starters. Our campsite was already taking shape. A small German contingent had set up on one side of us and the Lithuanians led by our old friend Kestutis Zelnys on the other.


David Hadley had driven in towing his Sluka. Paul Dewhurst came in his van with Laurie Hurman and Rees Keene with and his Chaser, towing the Tanarg. The airborne crews were Rob Grimwood & Graham Coventry in the QuikR, Andy & Barbara Aiken in the non-competing Eurostar, Frank Hodgson & Tim Keene in the Quantum and the essential logistics team, Malcolm Finch & Len Tanner, in the Sky ranger. This gave us enough to erect the marquee, which is a simple enough task if you have seven people.

By the time we had the marquee roof up it was clear that the space we had been allocated was not going to be enough so the Germans, who have a small team this year, kindly shifted to one side of their space and allowed us to encroach.

As the light faded we started to feel hungry and the need for a beer. Unfortunately we had arrived a couple of days before the competition bar and restaurant so we had to venture out. It was a still evening promising a wind-free night so we abandoned the half-finished marquee and bundled into Paul's van and drove into Jihlava hunting for somewhere to eat. At 9 pm on a Sunday evening Jihlava is not particularly full of life, at least the parts we saw. Laurie was determined not to go to McDonalds and in the end we didn't need to. We found a pizza restaurant near the centre of town. The chef had left but the girls, reluctantly at first, turned on the chip pan and microwave and washed down with decent Czech beer a dozen of us had a meal that hit the spot perfectly.