ZCZC AE49
QST de W1AW
DX Bulletin 49 ARLD049
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT November 20, 2001
To all radio amateurs
SB DX ARL ARLD049
ARLD049 Ducie Island DXpedition Abandoned
High seas have forced the Ducie Island DXpedition team to abandon its effort to reach the newest DXCC entity this week. Kan Mizoguchi, JA1BK, announced late November 19 that the DXpedition was cancelled and that the team--aboard the tri-hull sailing vessel Temarama and some 80 nautical miles from its destination--was turning around and heading back to Pitcairn Island.
Team members plan to operate a multi-op station from Pitcairn during the CQ World Wide CW DX Contest this weekend.
Forecasts were calling for at seas of at least 3 meters (approximately 10 feet) around Ducie Island over the next several days, which could have made landing extremely hazardous. Earlier, a storm in the Pitcairn area and a container ship in harbor had delayed efforts to load passengers and equipment aboard the vessel.
The team had hoped to begin operation last weekend, then depart Ducie by November 23. Ducie Island in the South Pacific became the 335th DXCC entity last week. Ducie contacts made on or after November 16, 2001, will be eligible for DXCC credit as a result of a favorable vote to accept the Pitcairn Island Amateur Radio Association (PIARA) as an International Amateur Radio Union member-society.