Information on Passage from Hampton, VA to Tortola, BVI

     Here is our contact information while we are on the passage from Hampton, VA to the Tortola, BVI. Due to weather that remains uncooperative it is unlikely that we will leave before Thursday, November 10th. We will be sure to send out emails and put an update on the blog before we depart.

Contact Information

Direct:

• Email: TBD

• Satellite phone:  +870776453672 or 00870776453672 **please note that we will use this mostly for outgoing calls and it will not normally be on.

Indirect:

1. We are part of the Salty Dog Rally which has daily check-ins/chat at 9am and 8pm EST where we will update position/conditions etc. As part of the Cruiseheimers Net/Doo Dah Net we will also check in daily at 5pm EST http://www.bigdumboat.com/doodah.html . **If you need to contact us on an urgent matter use Dick Giddings who runs the net at richardcgiddings@yahoo.com . We will be talking to him daily on SSB. 

2. Herb Hildenberg runs a daily weather forecasting and ship routing over Marine SSB from his home near Toronto,  http://www3.sympatico.ca/hehilgen/vax498.htm . We will be checking in with Herb once a day (2:30 EST). He is also available to communicate urgent messages. Herb can be reached at hehilgen@sympatico.ca 

**Please note that we have used the name “Mor’ Childs Play” with the Salty Dog Rally but simplified it to “Childs Play” for Herb as we have only communicated over SSB. In an emergency these two names should be considered the same and refer to us. It is highly unlikely that “Childs Play” is in the same vicinity if it even exists.

Communications Equipment On-Board:

• VHF radio for communications up to 50 miles (Call sign:CFN4919, MMSI: 316011825)

• Marine SSB HF radio for long range communications of voice, email tbd ,  weatherfax

• SPOT transponder for position tracking and indicating urgent situation by pressing distress button. Position information   http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0GjnOTvs7TzkvT1nBKRYglIK4X5bkxckk

• Position information will be updated on passage on the blog. The blog home page also has the links to position information http://morchildsplay.blogspot.com/

• EPIRB for activation in a distress situation

• Satellite phone:  +870776453672 or 00870776453672 **please note that we will use this mostly for outgoing calls and it will not normally be on.

*Clearly if both EPIRB and SPOT are activated it is a distress situation not an accidental activation.*

On a happier note, the weather here in Hampton is much nicer today with the sun out and everything, so we can enjoy that at least while we continue preparations for the journey.