The den mothers
recently set out on the most difficult part of crossing preparation...
PROVISIONS!
After unloading two
pickup trays filled with non-perishables, they quickly found that a 43 foot
race boat does not make a very good floating pantry. After removing most of the
packaging, they finally managed to squeeze everything into the boat. She now
heels slightly to starboard, with all her nooks and crannies filled with enough
rations for a month at sea. Everyone now has their fingers crossed that they
can find space for all the pre-cooked meals and perishables being bought today.
Now, our first mate
will recount her sat-phone woes....
Men seem to be
fascinated by technology, our skipper being no exception. We've got redundant
GPS and communications aboard, following the rule "two is one and one is
none". However, the HF system is becoming a challenge. We have not called
anyone on the HF system for over 10 years and upon renewing our Ham licences
(9Z4DL me & 9Z4DM Reggie) we had a go. We could receive but not transmit.
After many attempts at problem solving there was no luck. Hmmmm...Time to call
in the professional network!
The members of
the Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Radio Society (Chris 9Y4E, Jeff 9Y4J, &
Neil 9Y4NW) were quick to help and arrived promptly at 8:30 on Friday morning
straight from their early morning swim. Testing the system with
instruments, they provided technical advice on the solutions.(Reggie was
unavailable as work called, so it was left to Chris and I to apply the fix).
Off I went to
the Budget Marine, and armed with my fix-it goodies, the recommended solution
were implemented. We attempted to called 9y4J on the Ham frequency. We could
hear him but still could not transmit, just proving that when it comes to Ham
radio, I'm just an amateur and-I'm still going to need help! :(
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