When have I met Susan W7KFI for the first time? Maybe, on 40m CW in early 2000s. She was sailing the west coast from SF to Mexico. Since that time, I have talked to her in maritime mobile once or twice in a year. This morning,she has given me a call on 15m, where there were very few stations on CW with the SSB portion getting hot with WW SSB, from USS Missouri club station KH6BB.
She told me she would enter a nursing home for retired soldiers in Wash DC soon. She used to tell me she would go to KH3, V7 and T32 etc after leaving Hawaii. She is now 79 years old. It seemed she had given up sailing in solo in the Pacific Ocean for now. There seem she had a few good friends in Hawaii, who would help her to get ready for her move.
As written above, she has dreamed croussing around the islands in the Pacific. When I asked what she would do after the journey was over in a QSO in 2007, she answered me "Who knows?". She must have hoped her dream cruise might last forever. But it is the time for her to put an end to her cruise.
She told me she could set up a ham radio station at the facility in Wash DC. I am anxious to know who would help her to set up her station there since she told me she hadn't had any friends around there yet. There are a number of kind and great CW operators in that area, so that she might find some people who would help her there.
She is stepping into a new phase of her life now. I wished her very good luck and pleasant retirement over there.
Visit her page in QRZ.com as well as her own web site: http://www.w7kfi.com/
I also have chatted with Susan a few times as she was sailing around on the Pacific Ocean over the past few years. It was always a pleasure to make a contact with her.
ReplyDeleteI too hope she can find some hams who will help her set up a station back in Washington D. C.
Thanks
Bob Gates
She seemed to have got good company in Hawaii. That may be one reason why she has been there for so long time. When I met her 3 or 4 years ago, she told me she would go on her solo voyage to Johnston Island etc. Having not been allowed to land on the island by the authority, she seemed to have given up all the rest of the planned voyage. I am relieved she would live ashore. Let's hope to hear from her at new place in W3 land.
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