26-Mar-2024 -- This Confluence was visited during a helicopter flight from the island of São Vicente to the island of Santiago, in the country of Cabo Verde. The confluence required a minor change of course in order to pass through it, which while not the most direct route, set us up for a shorter leg over water between the islands. The crew of Luke Koladish, Braden Hunter, and Aaron DeAngelis briefed the mission and departed out of São Vicente mid-morning on the 26th of March.

We flew a "max range" speed of about 120 knots. With winds a bit stronger than normal for the season, visibility was reduced by haze. As we approached the Confluence, we decreased speed to 80 knots. We passed through at 1600' above sea level, which is the lowest we could get for the airspace we were in. Pilots Luke and Braden, in the cockpit, grabbed pictures of the southern and eastern views, as well as the map display. Aaron, in the back with a handheld Garmin, backed up the aircraft GPS and took photos north and west. The crew neglected to take a picture straight down through the cargo hook hatch in the floor, but it was discussed as a missed opportunity in the debrief.

The view from here is ever-changing with the wind and waves. On our journey we observed white caps on some waves, which the locals call "cavo branco" (white horses). 10 miles of visibility prevented us from seeing a clear horizon line or the nearby islands of São Nicolau or Santiago, but on a clear day they ought to be visible.

The flight was conducted during the "Granite Falco" exercise between the American State of New Hampshire and the nation of Cabo Verde. The aircraft was a New Hampshire Army National Guard HH-60M. The mission was delivery of ~1000 lbs of donated schoolbooks to Praia, with a return mission transporting the US Ambassador to São Vicente.

Coordinator's Note: This Confluence visit is classified as "incomplete" as, according to the DCP rules, it did not happen "on the Earth's surface".

In the ocean, but with a view of land