One of the great facets of this hobby is supporting and chasing the DXprediations as they prepare and deploy around the world to those elusive spots of low noise and great global propagation.

For the team of 3Y0Z (three yankee zero zulu), after delays on the 13th of January, the team left the port of Puntas Arenas on 19th of January, full steam ahead to Bouvet Island.

After copping a hammering from the weather in the South Atlantic in the days that followed, Bouvet Island finally came into view on January 31st.

After experiencing winds of up to 45 knots and 5-meter swell, pitch and rolling the marine vessel by 30 degrees, the ship's engines ran into trouble and decisions needed to be made.

With the weather not breaking, and more trouble developing with one of the two ship’s engines, on the 3rd of February the captain of the vessel declared it unsafe to continue with the voyage and aborted the DXpedition with the intention to start the long voyage back to Punta Arenas.

On February 5th, the captain has decided that it was in the best interest of safety and expediency to proceed directly to Capetown, South Africa rather than Punta Arenas, Chile, as the safest and most expedient course.

With their last post on February 8th, the team was still on their slow voyage to Capetown, making 6 knots, with one of our two engines still out. The team is healthy, with plenty of food and water, and working to keep their spirits up. After traveling 2700 nautical miles to Bouvet, it was the last mile proved to be the most difficult.

LINK:

https://www.bouvetdx.org/news-and-updates/

https://dx-world.net/3y0z-bouvet-2018/

But, all is not lost - if you’re keen to contact and support DXpeditions, it may not be (pardon the pun) Bouvard, but it starts with a “B”.

Take a look at Baker Island.

LINK: http://www.baker2018.net/index.html