Update: Efforts are under way between the 3Y0J team and the new owners of the Braveheart to allow Nigel Jolly to remain as the ship's captain and for the DXpedition to go on as planned. We will keep you updated.
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The 3Y0J DXpedition to Bouvet Island planned for 2023 (see June issue DX column) has been cancelled.
According to organizers Paul Ewing, N6PSE, and Kenneth Opskar, LA7GIA, the change in plans resulted from the recent sale of the ship RV Braveheart, on which the group planned sail to the remote island in the Southern Ocean.
In an announcement to the DX community on June 13, Ewing and Opskar said that the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic prompted owner and captain Nigel Jolly, K6NRJ, to sell the vessel, which had transported numerous DXpeditions to and from their destinations. As a result of the sale, the group's contract was cancelled and its deposit was refunded.
The announcement also said that the group had stopped accepting donations and was beginning the process of refunding 100% of all donations already made. "We will continue to research other ships," the statement concluded, "and possibly find another suitable vessel for a future project."