Yuri has left Norfolk and is on his way to Mariel Cuba. You may have seen him at anchor out in the bay after he left the berth. A fuel barge was next to him filling up his tanks!
Yuri has sent mail to the following stations: KD8CAO W5PFG W5CBF N5UXT KJ4MCZ KO4MA WA4NVM K4FEG N2PPL K9HF K8II W1PA WN9Q. If you don't receive something in two weeks, please let me know. As you can imagine, it is no easy job to confirm so many contacts with so many different stations. He does what he can considering the time he can spare. It is a never ending job for him.
You may have heard that WX4TV and his family were able to visit the ship yesterday just before it sailed. Yuri was very busy with his agents and last minute paperwork but one of the crew gave them a tour of the ship. I expect that Jim will be sharing some photos/video of that visit.
We are very fortunate to have someone like Yuri take an interest in operating the satellites in hundreds of water grids. It's fun to make all of those contacts, but it is also a lot of work to get confirmations out when you are not at home. Yuri is an amazing operator and ambassador for ham radio. His callsign is recognized by vhf'ers around the world. Good luck to everyone trying to work him. The route down to Cuba should be new for many operators.
73, John K8YSE