Location: At sea, south of Socorro Island, en route Clipperton Island. Estimated run time 56 hours.
Comments: ‘Tis a lovely day at sea in very calm conditions. Everyone is relaxed and enjoying themselves. If the weather holds up like this, we will have a very easy trip. Had a couple of interesting presentations today.
One of our guests brought along a fascinating trip video from the FOOAAA DXpedition to Clipperton Island. DXer’s are very serious ham radio operators who stage arduous and expensive expeditions to very remote places. The beauty of Clipperton Island from their perspective is that it qualifies as a “country.” So sending and receiving a call to station FOOAA on Clipperton is something of note for amateur ham operators (much like a birder’s “life list”). It was a very interesting video and I learned all kinds of neat stuff like a “20 over 9” signal is exceptionally strong and that a JA QC is a call from a radio operator in Japan.
Their numbers were truly amazing – in 10 days onsite the team of operators received and acknowledged over 75,000 radio calls from all over the world!! This is how the jacket of the trip DVD reads: “Clipperton, the Forgotten Island of the Pacific. The official story of the March 2000 DXpedition to one of the world’s most remote and mysterious Islands. From its legendary DXpeditions over the last 50 years to its chilling history of shipwreck, murder and piracy, join the FOOAAA team as they activate one of amateur Radio’s most magical destinations. To purchase copies, email jamesb@pacific.net.sg.”
I can’t wait to get there and see Clipperton for myself!!!
–Captain Mike
Weather: Sunny, hot, the odd little fluffy white cumulous cloud, low northwest swell, wind from the west-northwest 5 – 10 knots, 82°F
Water: Water temperature and visibility unknown.
