SB DX @ ARL $ARLD049
ARLD049 Ducie Island DXpedition Abandoned

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.
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/EX