What do we do an a rainy day?

It’s a very rainy day here at the Seattle Yacht Club Outstation in Cortes Bay.  It has rained all night and there are no signs of it letting up.  I don’t think we will see the Kenmore seaplane come in about noon to either pickup, drop-off or for the pilot to have lunch and a restroom break. (12 noon correction)  Kenmore Beaver arrives right on schedule.  They are good!

So, what is it we do on a day like this.  We have our morning coffee and watch the news.  We look at our emails and respond as necessary.  I join in on two amateur radio networks in the morning.  The first is at 7AM and is a group called Roy’s net.  Roy’s net has been around for over 20 years and is made up of about 10 fellows with very diverse backgrounds and interests.  The three most important themes seem to be boats, airplanes and woodworking.  We speak to each other 7 days a week 52 weeks a year.  We use a technology called Echolink to stay connected even when normal radio signals cannot reach us.  Echolink uses the internet to connect to a radio at my home in Shelter Bay that then connects to a repeater on a mountain near Mt. Vernon which reaches Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties.

After Roy’s net I am part of a group of mostly Seattle Yacht Club members that get together at 7:47AM every morning to report the weather conditions at our locations.  This is held on a radio repeater that is located on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle and is connect to the internet via Echolink.  Being able hear the weather conditions from other boaters is very useful.

Finally, at 5PM I am a member of a group of boaters who are cruising in British Columbia.  It’s called the Northwest Boaters Net.  It is conducted during the summer cruising season using a very sophisticated radio system located on Vancouver Island.  There is a group of repeaters that are linked together on both side of Vancouver Island.  We report our location and any interesting information we have learned during the day and where we will be he following day.  Knowing what is going on at the local marinas or where the Orcas are is valuable information.

Amateur radio is a great hobby and is a way to connect with people from all over the world.  In my next post I’ll give you some insight on the other things that occupy our day.  (Rod)