As you may know, my plan is to hitch-hike with a team of mountaineers, travelling from Svalbard to Jan Mayen in late June, 2022. However, a couple of weeks ago, I received a notification from the operator that the trip is at risk being cancelled, due to a lack of reservations. At the time being, the trip cannot completed without a significant financial loss, which, understandably, isn’t an option.

Let’s discuss options.

1- Last minute reservations. There is a small chance that new reservations may be placed, and the trip goes as planned. When I last spoke with the captain, he encouraged me to invite more radio amateurs to tag along, and that a group discount might be available. If you’re interested, you know what to do.

2- If the trip ends up being cancelled and you’re bummed there’s no JX in the log, rest assured there is still a chance. I recently learned that two operators are being stationed there for the summer, namely JX7QY and JX/LB4MI, so keep an eye out for them in the DX cluster. Their shifts begins in a couple of weeks, and I know that at least one of them is an experienced CW operator.

3- I’m going to pick up a few loose threads and see if I can get on another boat to Jan Mayen later this year, or maybe early/mid-2023. Admittedly, this requires a fair bit more planning and coordination, but it’s far from impossible. The reward here is ten days on the island, which is a good motivation.

I’m going to Jan Mayen, and that’s final. Time will show if this happens now, as planned in three months, or later this year/next year. I’m going, trust me, it’s only a question of when and how.

Meanwhile, hope to catch you on the air during the CQWPX contest this weekend. There are four operators, including me, that will work from my club, and you’ll hear calling as LN2T. Good luck!