Routing Strategy

Those of you following our progress on the winlink map (www.winlink.org; our call sign is ve0dlz [victor echo zero delta lima zulu) may have noticed our slight deviation from the direct route to the Marquesas. While we have been known to fly by the seats of our pants, we have a plan. I repeat, we have a plan.

The number one driving factor in getting to our destination is...wind. There are two hurdles that may impede our ability to get enough in the right directions: the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ or doldrums) and the southern trade winds. We expect the former to be about 1 to 3 degrees thick (60 to 180 miles) and sitting at about 10N to 8N. After that, we'll keep going south to hook up with the strong trades. If we head west too early after the ITCZ, we may end up having to fight contrary trade winds to make our intended landfall. That would be like beating your head against a wall for a week...not much fun.