Our Communications

Sidney BC

Traversay III NE Pacific Circuit 2014

We're nearly finished with our voyage for this year. Soon we'll be returning to our home port, we'll be visiting relatives and friends. We won't be 'blogging' again for a long time.

Before we go, I want to explain a few facts (as I understand them) about our communications (or lack thereof). Larry has patiently explained all these issues to me a number of times, and I regret that I will probably STILL be wrong. However, those of you who have known him for a long time will realize that he is a navigational and electronics genius. He was winning the right to program room-sized computers at the University when we were in Grade 8.

We can post our blog and location (along with very small photos) everywhere. We can normally send text-only messages and receive them at our gmail address. But sometimes this only happens with a great expenditure of money using the Sat-phone. We CANNOT RESPOND to our blog.We update the small photos with higher resolution or additional photos when we get to places with hi-speed internet.

ON THE ABOVE MAP (April-September 20, 2014)

We can post Blogs and Locations and very small photos. We can receive and respond to personal gmail messages. We cannot respond to messages on our Blog. Sometimes we need to use a Satphone to send our messages.

 In these locations we were able to use cell phone but with high roaming charges. A- Port Townsend 3 days B- Monterey 3 days and San Diego 3 days D- Hawaii in Honolulu we had a week (no phone coverage E of Honolulu) E- King Cove 3 days

 In Ensenada Mexico we had erratic hi-speed at the marina. However, we could also make short International calls from the Marina Office ... 3 weeks

F-Prince Rupert Hi-speed; cellphone coverage - we were there about 5 days
G-Bella Bella - cell worked for 20  minutes to send out blog H-I Usually the cell worked and sometimes we've had hi-speed at the marina

This is also a sign meaning hi-speed internet

In The ARCTIC last year - once we left Upernavik Greenland, we had a struggle to remain connected. Only wealthy boats (such as Libelulle which had Inmarsat Fleet Broadband - at an equipment cost of $12,000 and $12/minute connect costs) were able to get information in and out easily.  We all shared information. In our case, we were fortunate to have our friend David Lloyd from Edmonton who knew how to condense the ice charts and other information we needed. However we did spend $2400 on the Satphone over the Passage as often the short-wave single-sideband failed to work.