For us, this is not just another expedition, it is a life event for which we have been preparing for more than one year and have made every effort and money to make this event happen.

The departure from the Murmansk port is scheduled for September 1, but the dates may change. A lot will depend on the ice conditions, the technical readiness of the yacht, the availability of fuel, the weather and a number of other factors. The journey to the island takes about 5 days, but again, a lot will depend on the weather. If everything goes according to plan, we should go live on September 6. On-air activity is planned for at least two weeks around the clock on all HF bands + SAT in CW, SSB and digital communication modes in the presence of transmission, which can be too capricious in high latitudes. Nevertheless, we take with us a sufficient number of sets of equipment and antennas for all bands and we will try to “catch” the passage on both the low-frequency and high-frequency bands, but experience working on the air in the Arctic at this time of the year suggests that the main bands will be 40, 30, 20, 17m. We will also be active on VHF, including LEO SAT, QO-100, Es EME 144, 432. If possible, enter the /mm mode.

The captain of the yacht Apostol Andrey is Nikolai Andreevich Litau (R3CN), an experienced navigator, Honored Master of Sports, holder of several world records, who has made several trips around the world on his yacht, designed by himself specifically for long—term Arctic expeditions. On our journey, he will be assisted at the helm by a senior assistant and members of our crew in a watch-like manner during calm navigation. A GPS tracker is installed on the yacht, and our position can be tracked HERE.

Considering that the RFI territory has never been activated in FT8 (FT4, FT2) before, we assume a rush in these types of communication with a favorable passage. Therefore, we will spend most of our time outside the main areas of the ranges (see the band plan). Most likely, we won't have the opportunity to "spot" ourselves, so keep an eye on the frequencies listed on the website and, if possible, throw them into the cluster. In cases where we will not be called outside the main digital areas, we will switch to common frequencies.

A Starlink terminal will be installed on board the yacht for emergency communication with Earth, but it is unlikely that we will be able to use it for other purposes. It will be possible to transmit important, operational information during our stay on the island through our pilots.

We really hope for your support and see you on the air!