[South Florida DX Association] TX3A - Chesterfield News de AE6RR

[Norman Alexander]

NEWS  UPDATES
Under Way to 
> ChesterfieldReef (10-31-2009 
>  from AA7JV)
>
________________________________
 
>We left 
>  Saumarez Reef at 10 AM local time and gained the open sea at 11. Initially the 
>  seas were very rough. The seas laid down in the afternoon and we had a 
>  relatively comfortable cruise until about 5 PM, when the waves increased 
>  rather quickly. Currently we are fighting 2 to 2.5 meter waves and a strong 
>  current, with the boat rolling hard but not dangerously. The WX forecast 
>  indicates deteriorating conditions tomorrow morning, and some improvement for 
>  tomorrow night. We are now approximately 230 nautical miles to the west of 
>  Chesterfield 
>  and expect to arrive there early Monday morning. 
>Leaving the 
>  shelter of Saumarez Reef (10-31-2009 from AA7JV)
>
________________________________
 
>The 
>  weather has not improved much, winds are still 18 to 20 kts and forecast to 
>  increase to 25 kts, but we are determined to try making the passage to 
>  Chesterfield . 
>  We will be raising the anchor at 10 AM local time and will get out of the 
>  protection of the reef by noon. That is when we will know the actual 
>  conditions outside, which we hope, will be, if not comfortable, at least safe 
>  enough. The distance to
> Chesterfield is 320 nautical miles (approx. 
>  600 km) which will take us 46 hours to cross. That should put us just outside 
>  Chesterfield 
>  on Monday (Nov 02) around 8 AM. We will probably spend the rest of the day 
>  crossing the lagoon and finding a suitable cay to set up on. There are many 
>  considerations when selecting the right cay. First, it should be possible to 
>  safely anchor the boat close to the land. Second, there should be suitable 
>  shallow areas to install our TX antennas in the water, but enough land above 
>  high tide water to ensure that we do not get flooded in the event of a storm. 
>  All other considerations, such as comfort, come after. We will likely spend 
>  Tuesday setting up with a good chance of getting on the air that evening (Nov 
>  03, around 0700 UTC). First, however, we have to get there... 
>