The VP6D Ducie Island DXpedition announced just after 1600 UTC on October 31 that, “due to an expected worsening in landing conditions,” it would cease operations. VP6D now is off the air. The final contact count was 121,136. Most contacts — 67,686 — were on CW, with 28,736 on SSB and 24,714 on digital modes. The plan had been to continue operating until November 1 at 1500 UTC.

“It’s been raining all night, with 20+ knot winds,” a news bulletin from the team said. “The ship is about 300 meters off shore, the forecast indicates continuing 20+ knot winds, 2 – 3 meter seas.”

“We are collecting all the logs and will send to the EU QSL management team (hopefully before we leave); they will remove FT8 dupes and refresh the server before turning on OQRS.”

According to DXA, KB7QFE appears to have scored the final contact with VP6D.

Earlier this week, the team announced plans to tear down the CW and SSB camps on November 1, with antennas, and all non-essential equipment removed from the island to the M/V Braveheart. The next day, sleeping tents were to come down and all remaining gear will be transported to the ship, which was expected to depart Ducie Island at about 2300 UTC, getting under way at 0200 UTC on November 3 after all gear has been stowed. The schedule was arranged so that the team would not miss the once-per-week flight from Mangareva, French Polynesia, to Tahiti. It’s likely that this schedule will be accelerated.

“We want to thank everyone for their support and hope we met your expectations,” the team’s latest update said.