If you are used to swimming with sharks, riding
turtles, having 3,5 thousand QSO with various countries from all over the
world within 24 hours and if you are determined to sail 1000 miles
unafraid of the ocean and wind, waves and currents to make your dream come
true, please call us right now and we shall be pleased to listen to your
story.
But now please watch our documentary showing the challenging
voyage to the African islands undertaken by a crew of Russian hams. After
their expedition to the Malmines in August of 2004 Serge Morozov RA3NAN
and Eugene Schelkanovtsev RZ3EC started having big ideas about the African
islands known for their very low rating according to the world wide
program IOTA. To be precise, they targeted the rarest island groups of
Seychelles archipelago - Aldabra Atoll, Africa-025 (the latest hams’
activity recorded in 1994) and Farquhar Atoll (the latest activity in the
same remote 1994).
The third member of the
crew was Andy Novikov RZ3EM. Their long search for fellow-travelers, crazy
enough to help the hams reach their destination in such a short time,
brought the companions to the yacht agency Marin.ru, whose captain
Alexander Rogov kindly agreed to head the crew of the catamaran planning
the following voyage: Prasline Island -
Alphonse Island - Aldabra Atoll - Farquhar Atoll and back to Alphonse and
Prasline. The hams planned a three day activity on each of the atolls.
They thought that 2-3 thousand QSO from each group of islands would be a
good result. So they thought. Rough crossing, unpredictable ocean, 11-day
long autonomous sailing must have put things
right!
Russian Robinson Club and yacht
agency Marin.Ru present:
S79RRC: Sailing
Odyssey.
By the time of gathering in Moscow, on September, 24, there were
two pieces of news: a good one and a bad one. The good one was that most
part of the hams’ equipment, including antennas (RR-33 Robinson antenna,
manufactured by R-Quad), TXs (Icom IC-746 and IC-706MK2G as well as TL922
amplifier), had successfully passed through the customs of Russia, Qatar
and the Seychelles and were ready to be loaded on the catamaran. The bad
news was that the crew failed to find a generator powerful enough to let
them use the amplifier.
All
hands to the pump they managed to buy 2-KW portable generator Honda and in
addition some matreshka dolls, wooden spoons, a gift set of vodka, a
whistle, a compass and a thermometer to please the local kings. Even this
smaller part of the equipment made them look like a gypsy caravan when
waiting for the departure in Domodedovo airport on September,
25.
September, the
25th
On our way we received an SMS message from Pavel
RA3AUM calling to mind the environment. 
We wished we would avoid mass going of whales aground and penguin
madness on the islands we were going to visit in the nearest future. On
board of the plane we found our seats … erm … at the end of the aisle, to
be more precise in the very last row, farthest from the pilots, closest to
the toilets. At 15.15 the plane took off and headed for Doha. Our numerous
maneuvers began!
The monitors came into
life and what a coincidence! Funny cartoon characters of “Madagascar”
appeared on the screen! Madagascar is the state nearest to the area we
were going to visit! Sounded encouraging, didn’t it? And quite symbolic!
Our flight lasted for 4 and half hours. Through the windows we could see
small luminous dots that turned out to be the lights of numerous petroleum
flares – the sources of miraculous wealth of a small Middle East state –
Qatar. At 19.49 our plane landed at the airport of Doha, the capital of
Qatar. The local time was 18.49, the temperature outside +33Ñ!!! The door opened – welcome to the
sauna!
We were amazed by the airport of
Doha! It reminded us of ancient Babylon with its chaos of outfits, faces,
cultures, languages and nations! Numerous travelers mainly of African or
Asian descent dressed in striking outfits were eating, sitting, standing,
lying and sleeping in most unusual places. We spent the first 5 hours in
Qatar socializing and occupied our seats on board of the plane having a
good 5-hour sleep on our mind. At 00.12 Moscow time the plane QR702 Doha–
Mahe took off.
Airbus A320 left another 3,5
thousand km behind and in the morning on September, 26 we landed at a
small international airport of Mahe Island.
September, the 26th
In spite of a rather frequent hams’ activity from the islands of
Seychelles Archipelago their remoteness from Europe, America and Japan
(swarms of most hams) made the activity from this area quite attractive
not only for the island hunters, but for more sophisticated public as
well, such as DXCC fans! We had enough antennas at our disposal to enable
them to improve their results. There was
just one snag to it! We were not sure that our activity would long enough
due to the unpredictable character of our itinerary! Meanwhile we were
enjoying the bright colors surrounding us, the blinding hot equatorial sun
and the slow, unhurried mode of the local lifestyle! However in our
thoughts we were far away. On board of a small 12-seat plane” Beachcraft
1900D” we were heading for Alphonse
Island!
The flight lasted for
half an hour. A steep dive from the altitude of 2000 meters down onto the
narrow strip of runway, which suddenly appeared below us. Three cheers to the pilots! 
We were on Des Roches Island. The passengers were offered to
stretch their legs and poison their lungs. Having smoked his cigarette
Eugene RZ3EC was at a loss where to throw away the butt because you could
not even think of spoiling the perfectly trimmed lawns around lined with
giant coconut palm-trees. Our stay in this perfect oasis was limited to 20
minutes as we had to make another 30-minute flight. Another safe landing
and we could see Dima and Vlad, the members of the catamaran crew, meeting
us at the airport. We got out of the plane and were greeted by pretty
local girls placing garlands of bamboo leaves and exotic flowers on our
necks. Aloha, Alphonse!!! A tiny electric car brought us across the island
into its southern part where we found our catamaran rocking on the emerald
waves of the lagoon. During the following 15 days it was going to be our
transport, our home, our world!
September, the
27th
We planned not to waste time and set out
on our journey at once but the ocean changed our plans! In the morning on
September, 27 the ocean was so rough that even strong-willed local divers
gave up and stayed ashore. A local pilot, along with them, decided to have
a day-off. From the very beginning it seemed that the day was completely
lost for our journey. But God bless the
brave! As soon as the strength of the wind dropped down to 25 m/sec and
the tide got low a captain to our great surprise gave a command to get
ready for sailing off. The crew started bustling round. It was all routine
for them, but exciting and new for
us!
Hardly had the anchor been heaved up when wind and current began
to carry the catamaran back to the coast. The only way out of the lagoon
at Alphonse Island was the narrow 20-meter channel difficult to go through
even when the ocean is calm! On that day the wind was so strong that no
matter how hard the captain tried to maneuver with the help of the engine
everything was in vain. The depth sometimes reached the critical figures
of 20 ... 10 cm. The tension was growing. However at last our well-run
catamaran left astern the white splashes of coral barrier lining the
lagoon. Soon we turned round a gracefully-shaped island of Bijoutier and
still excited by the new experience directed towards steady and powerful
breath of the ocean. From time to time 5-meter high waves rolled over the
deck with the roar of artillery cannonade! We were going to sail in a
relaxed way but the ocean made us face the reality.
Our
thoughtful mood was interrupted by the coordinated work of the crew and
soon our Flying Dutchman got wings! Up went the mainsail and genoa and
having saddled the wind we directed forward overtaken only by the timid
schools of flying fish. Our first night in the open ocean was coming,
twilight thickened suddenly and soon we could not see the waves and all we
could hear was mighty breathing of the ocean.
September, the 28th
Early morning… Late morning … Early lunch… Lunch
time… Hams’ society of “Chaka HC 404” spent most of the time in the
horizontal position. We could hardly move around the catamaran. Only like
the sloths supporting ourselves on at least three points. The appetite had
a day-off. The first days were most exhausting for our bodies. Anyway we
were proud of ourselves as the environment had not been spoilt by our
discomfort!
September, the
29th
The following morning greeted us with
sunshine over dark-blue ocean. Our spirits rose considerably! We got used
to tossing and started to enjoy our voyage. So captain’s shy suggestion to
make a stop on Cosmoledo Atoll was eagerly accepted. Why not! Of course! By all
means!!!!!!
The
latest activity from this group is referred to the remote 1994 - S79CK/C,
the period of silence was long enough to break it. Frankly speaking, in
Russia we still had some mythic intentions of short-term activity from
Africa-26, but at that time it sounded highly unbelievable. Now it seemed
that our dream was coming true at last!
Nevertheless we made sure that the stop would not
influence our major schedule of activity from Aldabra and Farquhar. The
smiling captain reassured us that we would even benefit from that stop on
Cosmoledo otherwise we would reach Aldabra late at night. We started
feverish activity getting ready for landing with our autonomous set of
radio equipment. Giant frigate birds and albatrosses were following the
catamaran. After noon we saw and came closer to the largest island of the
atoll – Grande Island.
Cosmoledo is shaped as an oval made of several islands, the
largest being Grande and Menai. The latter was our destination, from it we
were going on to Aldabra Atoll. On our way we passed a local vessel, which
looked like a toy model of a Portuguese explorer’s ship. Although it was
called "The Dolphin", there were huge hammocks full of birds eggs on its
board and flocks of birds were crowding over them in the air. We supposed
that the business of this floating poultry farm was
illegal!
At 15.00 we dropped the anchor in the bay
of Menai Island. It was only 200 meters to the coast. Eugene RZ3EC with a
piece of luggage headed ashore and soon we heard him cursing the
red-hot sand. To avoid injuries at work we decided to place a 14 MHz
vertical as close to the water as possible. We needed Eugene alive! We arranged our working
place in 50 meters from the water in the open air. Shaman dances over
MFJ259 
and SWR = 1.2 on 14.260 . We had not yet properly announced our
unexpected activity when we heard on the air: “CQ…CQ… de S79RRC/Cosmoledo.
Africa -026! QRZ everybody!” UT7WZA is calling and it seemed that he
hardly believed himself! We did not believe it either! After complete
despair - activity from the board of the catamaran - the air is quickly
coming to life!
The
frequency was overcrowded by calling stations. We learnt about it from
Victor UA6AF as we received all the calling station equally poorly due to
the strong atmospherics! Anyway we started to work SPLIT, thinking that
our good evening propagation had not begun yet. The tempo was rising, our
log was being replenished, operators were taking turns. Growing excited we
forgot about the dessert for our dear Honda and it ran out of fuel! We
used a walkie-talkie to request the guys from the catamaran to help us
out. While waiting for the fuel we investigated the island, presented the
local fishermen with matreshka dolls and wooden spoons and scared crabs
out of our way. We noticed that the beach was dug up with 2-meter large
craters and tracks leading to the ocean. RZ3EC who once was not afraid of
polar bears in R0K expedition, doubted if he could be as brave with the
turtles of such size.
We made a big fire from dry timber
found on the beach. Andy RZ3EM wearing red bandana told us about his fond
memories of being a young pioneer at school.
While
we were busy we forgot the time. It turned out that the tide had lowed
down uncovering the reefs and the catamaran would be able to collect us
from the island only at 2 a.m.! We were ready to spend the time
efficiently being on the air. But we had only one liter of petrol and half
liter of water. We kept on working until the generator ran out of fuel. At
23.10 we got enveloped by complete silence. Thanks to Sergey’s RA3NAN
sagacity a small torch with an accumulator was throwing dim light on the
scene of our recent triumph. There was nowhere to hurry, so we collected
all odds and bits, packed them thoroughly and carried them closer to the
fire. The fire made of bamboo canes and exotic timber lightened our tired
but satisfied faces
Satellite Internet terminal BGAN
allowed us to view and send spots into the cluster. We grinningly
remembered one of them, complaining. The air is similar to life: who wants
to succeed is looking for chances and own potentials but those who are
incapable are looking for an excuse and reasons outside! Our discussion
was interrupted by heavy tropical shower. 
We put up a plastic tent to protect the equipment and ourselves,
while Serge was filling an empty plastic bottle with rain-water. The
shower was suddenly over, we drank fresh rain-water which tasted as the
best drink we ever had. At 1 a.m. we contacted the catamaran. The crew
were eager to set us free from our involuntary captivity. Fascinated we
stared at billions of stars over our heads. Lack of flashlight made the
view really stunning. Serge introduced us into the world of astronomy and
shared his knowledge showing us numerous constellations he
remembered.
We put out the friendly fire and
slowly walked to the catamaran with flashlights. Our hands put into the
warm water were leaving sparkling traces on the surface. Shiny plankton
reflected stars in the sky. That miraculous night was crowned by late
supper pleasant for our stomachs. Happy and fascinated we went away to our
cabins for a good rest and finally at 3 a.m. the catamaran headed for
Aldabra.
September, the
30th
It was a lazy morning, we got up at 11 a.m., updated the web page
of our expedition and at last by noon we saw on the horizon the first
islands of this huge (35km in diameter) Aldabra Atoll. The last activity
here was in the same remote 1994 so we were much wanted on the air! We
sailed around the atoll and headed for the Isle of Picard, the site of the
research station. At about 2 p.m. we noticed a speed boat coming up to us.
We were going to make a speech about international friendship and
cooperation, but when the boat came closer we saw a funny-looking bearded
Creole wearing a knitted cap on his head. We offered him a wide range of
smuggled goods, but he was particularly interested in cigarettes! We still had some! Our mate Dima threw two packets
of Camel over to him. All parties were satisfied and the Creole left for
the islands.
We
considered the first cultural experience to be successful. But soon we
noticed another more substantial double engine cutter directing to us. As
soon as it came closer we could see a spectacularly dressed Creole looking
as grand as Napoleon! It was Michel, SIF Manager of Aldabra Atoll. Over
the last two years we were the first Russians who visited the area. His
haughty air of an 
official disappeared after we had produced SIF papers allowing us
as radio amateurs to land on the island with the purpose of investigating
how the minimum solar activity could influence the electromagnetic wave
propagation on low-frequency band. He was even more impressed when we
produced an official letter from Russian Robinson Club with the list of
activity points of its members. Finally Russian-Seychelles friendship was
sealed with a bottle of Absolute. Michel kindly offered his boat to take
our equipment ashore and we happily agreed! At 5 p.m. our boat buried
itself into the sandy beach of Picard, Africa-035, Aldabra
Atoll.
A huge trailer pulled by us and some local
islanders moved slowly across the settlement to the farthest bungalow with
power supply. Now and then clumsy giant turtles came across our path
indignant with the fuss we made and the bad language we used. Excited by
the fantastic surroundings we were in a hurry to put up antennas because
the sun was about to hide behind the horizon. No matter how fast we worked
very soon the nature switched the daylight off and we got enveloped by
complete darkness.
By the headlamp lights
Eugene and Andy re-assembled our expeditionary “Robinson RR-33” antenna and with the help of our new local
friends raised it over the mast despite of the starting rain. 
By that time Serge had made the shack ready.
Well-coordinated and well-done job! “Robinson” was facing Europe, TL922
was murmuring with all its 800W of output power, “ÀÀÒest loging software”
was ready to swallow up many thousands of possible QSO’s. RZ3EC was on the
air: «CQ… CQ… de S79RRC/Aldabra, Africa-025!» Craziness started! Hundreds
and hundreds of calling stations! 5....10...15...20 and higher up, Split
by numbers –nothing could help us! Suddenly the whole world began to speak
Russian and our intention to broadcast in Russian only for Russia was
given up after a couple of contacts! We were obsessed by crazy drive and
wished to present this rare island to as many hams as possible. The tempo
was going up! By late at night we had worked on 14 MHz and switched off
our equipment at 1 a.m. when neither Europe nor America responded to our
lengthy calls.
October, the 1st
Having arranged it with Michel beforehand we were going to have a
sightseeing tour around the Isle of Picard and to get acquainted with its
unique flora and fauna. At 9 a.m. all our group gathered together and we
set out on our fascinating journey accompanied by Terrence and Cathrine.
On our way we passed the open-air fitness hall with its cross-bars carved
of huge stones like by Flingstone. At that time several Creole rangers
were employed on the atoll: Pascale, the cook who baked really delicious
bread, two research workers, one from Mauritius and the other one from the
Republic of South Africa, Michel, the manager of Aldabra Atoll and
Catherine, the only girl who came from Germany to gain some experience as
a naturalist before entering the university. All in all 11 people. Aldabra was first mentioned in
1511, although Arab navigators had undoubtedly visited these islands
before and the atoll owes them its name. Later the atoll belonged to
Reunion, Great Britain until it became a part of the Republic of
Seychelles. Since the times immemorial the main attraction of the atoll
were gigantic turtles up to 1,5 meter long weighing up to 300 kilos. At
present the population of these clumsy giants on Aldabra accounts for
152000 turtles. 
They can be up to 200 years old and you can judge about their age
by the number of circles on one segment of the shell. Now the most
long-lived turtle of the atoll is Biscuit who recently celebrated its 98
anniversary. On a hot day turtles can cover vast distances of 100 - 200
meters looking for the shadow. The most practical-minded ones save
precious calories (as their gastrointestinal digestion process takes up to
one month) and rest in the shade given by the shells of their mates who
gathered together to discuss the latest
news!
The variety of Aldabra underwater
world was highly estimated by the great Jacques Ives Cousteau, who
regarded the atoll as the paradise for divers. During the low-tide up to
two thirds of the vast lagoon (224 sq. km) gets drained and unveils its
mysteries thrilling your mind with the treasures of the
ocean.
The world of birds on the atoll is no less
diverse. Its numerous representatives are flying and strolling along the
beach observing the vast sky-blue ocean. Aldabra is the major nestling
place in the western part of the Indian Ocean for such species as frigate
bird, red-tailed and white-tailed tropicbird, common booby and white tern.
Aldabra warbler and white-throated rail are referred to the most
remarkable species of birds. 
White-throated rail is an endemic species of Aldabra, it is the
only surviving representative of flightless group of birds which included
also the extinct dodo.
The
unique flora and fauna of the atoll is the result of its remoteness from
the outward world: it lies 265 miles to the north of Madagascar and 220
miles away from Comoro Islands. There are neither any harmful insects nor
reptiles that could spoil life in this paradise. Numerous coconut palms
are heaving in the breeze, the sand is white, the ocean is azure and you
can hear Bob Marley song on the radio. It was the first time when we were
unanimous in our opinions: it was our idea of the antipode to our vain and
senseless everyday urban routine living. It was probably the perfect model
of human relationships with nature when man, turtle, crab and shark are
equals and live their own lives.
«One God - one destiny»: runs the inscription on the local
church friendly to any confessions and colors of skin. Living here seems to be easy, but it has deep
philosophic context. There must be prohibitions and bans for the visitors
to Aldabra, because it is so easy to destroy this unique fragile balance
between man and environment.
Anyway, friendliness of the personnel is worth the
best praise! On the second day of our stay on the atoll strong broadband
disturbance on MHz blocked our activity in this frequency range. Guided by
the motto “Long live radio hams all over the world!“ Steven ran over the
settlement in ten minutes and reported that all washing machines and all
stereo music centers had been switched off! It was so touching that we
could not let him go without a gift. We presented him a small 0,33 L
bottle of vodka. The effect was both comic and dramatic, as three mighty
rangers tasted the souvenir, got drunk as a fish and shattered piece and
quiet of the settlement till midnight. To avoid temptation among the local
guests Michel ordered to serve cold pure rain-water at the party given in
honor of Russian friends. Numerous speeches on the subject of
Russian-Seychelles friendship and cooperation prevented us for a while
from our work. But many favorable circumstances, well-coordinated
team-work and friendly service enabled us to enter in our log 2519 QSO’s
with rare Africa-025 within 24 hours!
October, the 2nd
The following morning encouraged by e-mail compliments we worked
with Russia and Japan. While Europe was still fast asleep we paid some
attention to Oceania. We were happy with every new QSO, thanks to RW9WA,
RX9MX, RV3GW, UA0BA and many many others. Thanks for your kind greetings
from all over the world! In pile-up we gave priority to the stations from
the former USSR.
Eugene RZ3EC, a regular striker of
the IOTA team, organized a historical soccer match of Robinsons versus
Islanders. The Aldabra team was supported by Catherine, red-hot sand and
silent admiration of numerous turtle fans, as a result the final score
that suited everybody was 2:2 – friendship won!
Transceiver operators took turns and soon Serge RA3NAN and
Andy RZ3EM accompanied by Terrence and Catherine and armed with masks and
flippers set out to discover the underwater world of the interior lagoon.
During the low-tide at a depth of 4 meters it was possible to enjoy the
variety of colors: swaying branches of corals, 
pompous
meter-long groupers, timid schools of parrot fishes, sea anemones and many
other big and small creatures! Taking into account the strength
of current we followed Terrence and made a dive. The underwater world
looked fantastic with its amazing mixture of shapes and colors. We found
our way back quite easily and came up to the surface exactly at the same
spot where we had left our bits and
pieces.
On our way back we
noticed a school of sharks frisking in the shallow water. The ranger
smiled reassuringly seeing our hesitation. Down we went again to face 20
sharp-toothed monsters each about two meters long coming up to us, but at
a short distance of 1,5 meter they abruptly changed their direction!
Our heats sank with excitement! Our fear
changed into childlike gleefulness as we realized that the experience was
really unique for everybody! It was worth overcoming all hardships before
and during the journey!
While we were out there was an excellent propagation
on 28 MHz. Unintentionally we are receiving appreciations from thankful
operators on the air who were able to make QSO’s with us in all three
frequency ranges available.
It’s
a pity that time flies so quickly and all good events end soon. At 17.10
by our QSO with IK1AVW on 28 MHz – CW we made our last 3875th QSO from
Aldabra, Africa-025.
By sunset light we disassembled our
equipment and antenna Robinson that had functioned excellently. At 7 p.m.
we said good-bye to the hospitable atoll and headed for our catamaran. On
its board Michel presented us with an exotic stamp depicting a giant
turtle, the symbol of the atoll to remind us of exotic animals, people and
islands lost in the ocean.
October, the 3rd
Half of our plan has been put into
life. But its most difficult part is still ahead - crossing from Aldabra
to Farquhar! At first we planned to head for the south from Aldabra, then
turn east and direct at Farquhar but the ocean changed our plans. Having
spent some time going south we soon found out that the strong current
together with the strong contrary wind were carrying our catamaran away to
Madagascar. Although we tacked and maneuvered hard the catamaran was
drifting south. The crew did their best using personal skills and power of
both engines in order to escape from that unfriendly area. Our plans to
head straight for Farquhar were ruined. Rough rolling and pitching caused
discomfort worsened by the lack of bread and some other essentials. We
tacked often again in order to move north, no matter how slowly we did it.
A day after leaving Aldabra we returned exactly to the same place – the
area near Assumption Island. We were really in very low
spirits.
October, the 4th, the 5th, the 6
th
We had to change directions and cover long
distances in order to come a little closer to the point of our destination
– group of Farquhar islands, Africa-035 in accordance with IOTA program.
From time to time five-meter high waves threw ocean water over our
catamaran, strange thoughts occurred to us that in case of emergency
nobody would rescue us as there was nobody around to call for help.
Neither of our two satellite phones was working. However, following
captain’s commands our catamaran was struggling the ocean and making its
way through the waves. Involuntary idleness and sea-sickness were
depressing. But most frustrating was the thought that a great number of
hams from all over the world were expecting us on the air but we failed to
do it.
All the films available on our notebook had already been seen.
Andy RZ3EM learned how to tie and, what’s
more important, how to undo his knots. We tried hard to keep ourselves
busy and avoid looking at onboard GPS navigator, which showed the location
of our catamaran in the form of a tiny dot, which was hardly moving at
all.
In the evening of October, the 6th,
we found ourselves within several tens of miles from the Island of
Providence which belongs to Farquhar group of islands. This island is
actually a narrow atoll with a large coral reef. Catamaran would not be
able to come to the island closer than 700 meters and if the tide was low
we had to carry the equipment ashore. But we were ready to face the
challenge. We asked the crew to take us as close to the coast as possible.
As far as we knew on Providence there was a lonely hospital indicated on
all maps and sailing directions. That sounded strange! What was the use of
a hospital on an uninhabited island in such a remote area. We hoped that
it would not be a hospital for lepers. Anyway we were ready for landing on
Providence as time was our worst rival and worked against us. Feeling
depressed we went away into our cabins to take counsel with our pillows.
Tomorrow was supposed to be the moment of truth.
October, the 7 th
When woke up realizing that the catamaran
was sailing quite fast, although we were planning to make a stop on
Providence. It was 7.15 and from the port side we could clearly see the
long narrow band of the atoll that was left behind and the white caps
splashing against coral reefs. The lighthouse shown on the map was not
there as well as the hospital building which was supposed to be our major
landmark at landing. But the chances on our landing were disappearing
rapidly because of the starting rain and strong wind. We were frustrated,
not to say desperate. The captain did his best to cheer us up and even
suggested our landing on Cerf Island instead
of the unlucky Providence. It was in the distance of 3 hour sailing from
Providence, but we rejected the option after we had had a look at the map
and sailing directions.
It
was the last day of our activity from Farquhar Atoll announced beforehand.
Messages appeared in the cluster inquiring our whereabouts. We were
pleased to realize that someone somewhere cared and worried about us. Our
last chance was to reach Farquhar Atoll which was in about 45 miles away
from Cerf, then we would be able to spend a little more than 24 hours on
possible activity on the air.
We
were going to the south struggling with the south-eastern wind, drizzling
rain and squally wind. We gave up our efforts to draw our dark thoughts
away and spent the time on board looking around.
At 15.00 we were able to see without binoculars the skyline of
Five Palms Island and a bit later hulls of the sunk ships corroded by salt
and time. The point of our destination was the western part of the atoll
where we would have a chance to avoid rough rocking and rolling. We nearly failed to do it. At last by 17.00 having
changed directions several times we reached our destination – Nort Island,
Farquhar Atoll. We took in the sails and with the help of both engines
went through the narrow 15-meter wide channel strangely called «25 francs»
into the interior part of the lagoon. We got already used to sailing on
the depth of 20 to 10 cm, we were not rooted to the spot but tried to
concentrate. Soon the most dangerous part was behind and there was 3,5
meters of clean water beneath us and 50 meters ahead there was a pier,
some boats and a five-meter high wooden cross, the embodiment of seamen’s
gratitude for the rest on that oasis of piece and quiet. Rest for
everybody but us.
Serge and Andy took all necessary documents and souvenirs
and went ashore. Elvis, IDC Manager of Farquhar Atoll, a giant Creole in a
wide-brimmed panama, carefully inspected our papers, approved of our
landing and even promised to help with our luggage. 
God bless Seychellois people and their promptness! To shake up
the slow-moving locals was next to impossible, so we had to unload our
luggage ourselves. By sunset we had put the last piece of our luggage in
the enormous pyramid at the doorstep of the guest-house of Farquhar. The
guest-house with its fresh linen, a shower-room and a satellite TV was
like a palace to us after the recent sailing. The most valuable service of
all available in the house was power supply and the illuminated ground in
the front. Traditionally we started with assembling our “Robinson RR-33” antenna. When it was completely dark we
managed to raise it up with the help of friendly and curious local people.
At the base of the mast we attached a talisman that belonged to Eugene
RZ3EC – a whistle with a compass and a thermometer. At 19.58 Moscow time
our position was ready and we were on 14.260 MHz. A German tried to jump
the queue giving CQ signal but he was immediately attacked by other hams,
who were patiently waiting for their turn. Andy RZ3EM apologised for
keeping people waiting for too long and announced: «QRZ de
S79RRC/Farquhar, Africa-035, is listening up!» 
The amazement of the surrounding locals was comparable only to
the madness on the air! According to IOTA program the rating of this atoll
was – 5,9 %, the lowest of the entire group of Seychelles islands. The
last expedition to this area was undertaken by Kurt S79MX/F in March,
1994. He used a dipole on 7/21 MHz. By pure chance we made a QSO with Kurt
HB9MX. It was symbolic! Our equipment – antennas and amplifier- was much
more powerful than his, as a result we were much more wanted! Eugene RZ3EC
replaced Andy RZ3EM who with the help of the Creoles raised the vertical
10 MHz antenna, Serge RA3NAN established an Internet connection. We
received a message from our pilot Oleg UR3IFD, our relatives and many many
others.
Till late at night we
were working on 14 MHz with Europe, North
and South America. Later we surprised at the propagation on 10 MHz in this
area. Japan took turns with Oceania and Europe, America and Japan again,
at last we had a perfect pile-up with the Americans. We went to bed with
the last warbling of “closing” band. We were completely exhausted but
satisfied: in our log there were 920 QSO’s within 7 hours of
work.
October, the 8th
Ordinary morning on the atoll lost in the ocean
greeted us with singing of orange colored birds - distant relations of
Middle European sparrows - and an odor of trees in full
blossom.
Although it was 7 a.m. and deep autumn the sun was already high.
Eugene RZ3EC woke up early as a bird and was
already working on the air mainly with the Russian part of Asia and Japan.
Other members of the team snatched a moment for sightseeing round the
island.
Farquhar Atoll was discovered in
1501 by a Portuguese navigator Jao De Nova and it represents the farthest
part of the Republic of Seychelles. It is 770 km away from the Isle of
Mahe. The atoll is remarkable for its high sand-dunes reaching 12 meters
of height. It was exactly one of these dunes that blocked our possible
connections with the European part of Russia. There were 15 of us on the
island at that time including two ladies: a jolly woman with a hardly
pronounceable name whom we nicknamed “Donna Rosa” and a fragile cook who
could easily find shelter in the shade of “Donna Rosa”. The main
occupations on the island were fishing and picking coconuts for their
pulp. Andy – one of the crew, as an expert on fishing could not miss an
opportunity to go fishing early in the morning. 
Over a two-hour drifting along the coast he caught about four
dozens of 30…50 cm long multicolored groupers and cut his hand with a
fishing line failing to catch a bigger one!
Now
and then we came across huge man-size heaps of coconut shells, the pulp
had been carefully scrubbed out of them, dried in the sun and sent to the
continent.
Most probably the next bar of
«Bounty» you buy will be stuffed with the contents of one of the coconuts
which were hanging above our heads!
The
island looked rather litter although, as Elvis had told us, the local
authorities had many ambitions of developing the infrastructure and
turning Farquhar Atoll into the paradise for tourists. A well-preserved
runway and the unique character of the atoll would facilitate the project.
Something had already been done: we were able to appreciate comfort of our
guest-house, friendliness and hospitality of Creoles! Probably in the
nearest future it will be quite easy to reach these islands and they will
be often represented on the air, meanwhile only pompous-looking turkeys
were walking in the shade of banana-palm plantations and shattering piece
and quiet.
Deeply impressed by the underwater world of Aldabra Serge and
Eugene were going to explore the multicolored world of the lagoon. During
their long walk along the gently sloping ocean floor to the coral atoll
they could admire a clumsy cramp-fish and rapid schools of parrot fishes
scared by bigger groupers.
One
of the red groupers was a specialty of our dinner. Our local menu included
rice, cabbage salad, sweet radish and green tomatoes seasoned with
aromatic spices which made our heads go round. Ice-cold water helped to
put out fire in our stomachs caused by extremely hot spices; however, it
could not put out fire on the air. Operators, bands, types of radiation
replaced each other but the number of calling stations was not decreasing.
We are making a directional call for Russia and thank the European
pile-up, which is left afterwards. At night we are trying to work on 10
Mhz but the propagation has changed to the worse and the band turns out to
be empty.
October, the 9th
We were enjoying delicious fresh cookies
when we had a worrying piece of news from the catamaran: 
it turned out that during our most difficult crossing from
Aldabra we had lost one rudder blade and we had to cover the remaining 200
miles to Alphonse with the only working rudder. In case we loose it we can
drift as far as Indonesia. Moreover, the sail was torn in its upper part.
Vlad was going to deal with it and climbed to the top of the mast
demonstrating his good skills. Eugene RZ3EC
was establishing the last QSO’s. At 09.09 our QSO with OH9TK was the final
point. In our log we had 4001 QSO’s from Africa-035 within a bit more than
24 hours. We disassembled the antenna, packed our odds and pieces, managed
to upload all our logs in the Internet, took the last pictures with
friendly islanders, thanked them for hospitality and a large boat brought
us to the catamaran. The anchor was weighed with the help of the winch and
various swear-words. We set out on our journey back home!
The large boat saw us off to the
end of the channel and soon we felt the powerful breath of the Indian
Ocean again.It was that rare case when both current and wind
were favorable for our speed. Our catamaran was speeding like a flying
fish, it seemed that we were sailing over the ocean without touching its
smooth surface. We felt giddy because of tossing and excitement: all our
daring dreams had been put into life! We had already over fulfilled our
ambitious plans: activated Cosmoledo, Aldabra and Farquhar. Leaving all
hardships behind we drank tea and went to bed with happy smiles on our
faces.
October, the 10th
It was the only rainy day during our stay
in the Seychelles. Every hour brought us closer to the end point of our
journey- Alphonse Island. There was just one snag: being on this rather
remote and still very rare group of Seychelles Islands – Africa-033, we
were still not able to make it active on the air. 
Moreover, our pilot Oleg UR3IFD
transmitted to us numerous requests of those who would love to hear from
us from that very island. Our response had been negative so far. We were
too short of time! We spent the whole day at the stern staring at GPS
navigator and observing the horizon line. Soon the land was in sight! It
was the group of Alphonse islands from south to north: St. Francois
Island, then Bijoutier Island, and at last the long-expected Alphonse
Island. It was still drizzly and windy, the day was ending. We still
remembered vividly how difficult it was to come out of the lagoon, so we
used a portable radio transmitter to talk with the pilot who agreed to
take us to the lagoon if we arrived by 18.30. We were on time! Darkness
fell like a shot, some minutes before we could see the leading boat of the
pilot and then suddenly we were enveloped in complete darkness. But that
short time was enough to find refuge in the still waters of the lagoon!
Although the catamaran dropped anchor in about 600 meters away from the
coast, it could not stop us! We made a call to Aldabra hotel, booked a
bungalow with the night view of the ocean as early in the morning a plane
would take us to Mahe. With as little equipment as possible – ICOM IC-706
and a 14 MHz vertical - we made our way ashore with flashlights. Vlad
skilfully managed to escape any reefs or sandbanks. At 20.00 after 13 days
of the journey and adventures we stepped again on the familiar coast of
Alphonse Island.
Alphonse Island is the largest and most northern of the three
islands belonging to the group of the same name. These islands lie 90 km
away from the Amirantes group, which they are sometimes mistakenly
referred to. They don’t lie on the Amirantes plateau but represent the
rests of extinct volcanoes; the depth at their base often reaches several
hundred meters at a close distance from the coast. Alphonse is shaped like
an isosceles triangle divided by runway into two equal parts. The island
is a staging post for crazy travelers like us or the point of destination
for those who prefer to rest in this paradise as the island has a
luxurious hotel. For those who are looking for isolation the hotel offers
exclusive bungalows, a mixture of Oriental luxury and African exotic. That
night the isolation was spoilt by three Russians with weather-beaten faces
and unusual requests: fresh water, bungalow facing north or north-west as
close to the ocean as possible and a European-standard adaptor. Russians
also carried snacks and take-aways in the plastic containers (a gift to
Andy from the catamaran crew as he had his birthday at that time).
Well-trained receptionist could hardly keep his astonishment when we
started to put up a 12-meter plastic vertical antenna for 14 MHz. At the doorstep of our bungalow, which looked
like a dream home of newly-weds, we placed a set of equipment and there
was our last and absolutely unplanned call-sign from Alphonse Island:
«S79RRC Africa-033, Over, over…». Nobody seemed to believe that we would
land on Alphonse, or it was just the end of the working day as we had to
demonstrate the strength of our vocal cords for another 10 … 15 minutes
until finally there was a familiar and dear madness on the air! We were
glad to hear our pilot Oleg UR3IFD and Igor UA3EDQ who could send our
regards to our relatives at home, so we told them about our future plans
on the way back. The vertical was located in 20 meters from the coast and
allowed to hold quite good pile-ups for Europe and the USA at quite a
modest setup. We were using telegraph a little bit. Mainly the same
stations were calling like at SSB. Soon the band is closing terminating
our short activity.
October, the 11th
We were woken up by Eugene’s voice who
had already started the last day of our activity from the Seychelles.
There were few stations on the air, still Eugene continued his efforts to
wake up the band with his insistent CQ. It
was a really busy day for us, at first we headed for the catamaranà to
collect all our odds and bits and to pack the luggage. Then we brought the
necessary luggage ashore as there was little time left before our flight.
We rushed to the bungalow and in 15 minutes all our equipment and antennas
were packed. Our evening and morning activity from Alphonse Island
resulted in 702 QSO’s. We checked out and joined the others who were
waiting for us at the Diving Center.
An
electric car took a farewell detour round the alleys of Alphonse Island
which struck us again with its bright colors and luxurious views, and
finally brought us to the runway. Soon we noticed a dot high above in the
sky, it was growing larger and a few minutes later the plane landed on the
island lost in the ocean.
Good-bye, Alphonse Island! Good-bye, the harbor of our
realized dreams!
After the ocean tossing our
take-off seemed perfectly smooth like a warm breeze. Down we could see the
lagoon of Alphonse that we used to cross in the darkness, the white
stripes of numerous reefs lining the lagoon and the narrow blue thread of
the channel.
The plane sent his farewell rocking
the wings and reminding us that all our adventures were already in the
past.
We could hardly see a small dot on the
blue surface of the ocean – it was our catamaran. Thank you and good-bye,
old chap! You shared the longest and the hardest sailing in your life with
us. We hope you will keep fond memories of us and a fortnight of a trying
journey and wonderful adventures. We will
remember them too! Forever!
-------------------------------------------------
P.S. After
our arrival to Russia we had to spend 5 days and nights, a pretty sum of
money and millions of nervous cells in order to go through the customs and
what was more important to get our luggage. We fail to find the words of
appreciation to the customs officers of Domodedovo Airport for their
“efficiency, kindheartedness and
understanding”.
-------------------------------------------------
Here are some achievements of our
expedition:
1300 miles have been covered under
sail
15 000 km have been covered by
air
4 rarest groups of Seychelles Islands
have been activated: Aldabra AF-025/
Cosmoledo AF-026/ Alphonse AF-033/ Farquhar
AF-035
Over 9000 QSO’s have
been made with the hams of all continents and from 115 countries DXCC!
None
of the plants/animals of the unique insular ecosystems was
disturbed!
-------------------------------------------------
Equipment we have used to make our dreams come
true:
Catamaran: CATANA 471
Regional BGAN Satellite
Internet Terminal
Antennas: Robinson RR-33, Home made
Verticals
TXs: IC-746pro, IC-706MKIIG,
FT-857
Amplifier:
TL-922A
The notorious whistle with a
compass and a thermometer.
--------------------------------------------------
Many words of thanks to
Russian Robinson Club ( http://www.hamradio.ru/rrc/news_e.asp )
Yacht Agency Marin.ru
Mediterranean DX Club
R-Quad Antenna Company
IOTA
Commetee
UDXC
--------------------------------------------------
Thanks for hearty welcome and accomodation
to
Michel – Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) Manager of
Aldabra Atoll
Elvis – Islands Development Company (IDC) Manager of
Farquhar Atoll
and
their friendly and sympathetic staff.
--------------------------------------------------
Personal thanks for assistance to:
Oleg UR3IFD - (Pilot &
Communication)
Îleg RA1AR - & Orbital Soft (tm) (WEB
design)
Alexander RW3DTB -
(Support)
Igor UA3EDQ - (Equipment
support)
Serge RU3EG - (Antenna
mast)
Michael UA3EKG - (Equipment
support)
Alexander RZ4AG & Serge UA9OV - (DXSoft
Software)
Alex VE3NEA - (DXAtlas - Propo
Software)
Arcady UA4CC - (BPF & LPF-1 filters
support)
Timothy RV6LFE - (WEB Hosting & Manuals
support)
Igor RN3OA
- ex. S79OA (Information)
Curt HB9MX - ex. S79MX/F
(Information)
Frederick HB9CQK - ex. S79QK
(Information)
OE3SGA, W3AWU, I2YDX, HA1AG, VE6VK, JA1QXY,
K8SIX
The expedition has been arranged
entirely due to the support of Serge RA3NAN
And the last but not the least:
many thanks to our families for their understanding, patience and
support!
