How to Reach Heartsong III

To Inquire about purchasing Heartsong III

If you are interested in purchasing Heartsong III, please contact us at Heartsong3ForSale@yahoo.com. If we are at sea, a member of our family will return your message.

To Inquire about the Circumnavigation

Communication at sea has come a long way. Ten years ago, we would have been out of touch for months at a time on a trip like this. These days, you can reach us wherever we are -- at sea or in harbor -- in as little as a day, depending on the method of communication you choose.

Radio E-mail (SAILMAIL)

Thanks to modern technology, we can receive and send email that you send in the normal way from your computer and we receive via single-sideband radio directly to the boat wherever we happen to be. However, the message must be short and text-only -- no attachments, no pictures, no long jokes, no forwards.

The reason for brevity is that we download the messages via incredibly slow radio link (about 2,900 bps, as opposed to the 58,000 bps of a normal modem), and we are restricted to 10 minutes use of the radio system per day. That usually adds up to about half a dozen short emails -- or about half of one typical forwarded "Top Ten List" or similar Internet joke.

Sailmail is free to you (we pay a yearly flat fee to have it), and we encourage its use for keeping in touch.

If you would like to have our sailmail address, please write and ask for it. The reason we do not publish the address here is to prevent spam from clogging the radio airways.

Reception time: one day to one week, depending on radio propagation.

To find out more about this wonderful method of communication at sea, check out Sailmail.

Inmarsat-C Satellite E-mail

The fastest, most reliable way to reach us immediately wherever we are -- at sea or at anchor -- is via satellite. This method, too, is text only (no graphics or photos).

Reception time: same day, assuming we're on the boat.

All you need is a computer and normal Internet connection, plus a free account with a satellite provider company. All the additional required hardware is on our boat. You are charged a penny per character, but only for the messages you send. For example, the message "Meet U Athens May 2003" would cost you 18 cents, billed to your credit card by the satellite provider company.

For instructions on how to sign up for and send satellite e-mail, click here.

Internet Email

If you want our regular email address, which we check whenever we are in a port with an Internet Cafe, please write and ask for it. The reason we have stopped publishing it here is that it has generated a ton of unwanted spam. But we love getting email from other sailors, so please don't hesitate to ask.

US Mail

If you're really in no hurry, write via our mail forwarding service to Heartsong III, PMB 9- 407, 88005 Overseas Highway, Islamorada, FL 33036 USA.

Please do not send packages. The forwarding company will automatically send them to us, whatever the weight or charge, and international shipping to remote destinations can cost us hundreds of dollars.

Reception time: 3-12 weeks.