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Am I in the right spot? (A Night Cache) Multi-Cache

This cache has been archived.

Robmc: Now the whole cache is gone.
Robmc.

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Hidden : 12/22/2009
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Mostly, lighthouses appear in ones, a solarity column of rock reaching out of the surf to light the way for mariners. Not here. On Shortlands Bluff, there are two old style lights, and three new light towers.

They are not really traditional lighthouses, just giving a single location, these are used as the leading lights to guide ships through the channel.

The area between the Port Phillip heads is called the Rip. The distance is about 3 kilometers wide. Unfortunately, the navigable channel is greatly reduced by reefs extending from both headlands. The channel is then 840 meters (after a lot of blasting!) for most boats, but if you are big, the gap you have is 204 meters!

Tonight, we will have a look at these lights.

Yep, night cache. You need to be able to see the lights.

Before we start lining things up, you need to find something rare - a black lighthouse.
Just north of the towers and the white lighthouse, there is an Occultating light (Occultating means that it flashes, but is light longer than it is dark, in this case, dark for 2.5 seconds every 15 seconds). This black lighthouse (or the High Light) is lined up with the other lights to form the required transits.
Keep an eye on this light.

There are three waypoints to this cache. At each waypoint there are three options. Each option will give you a pair of numbers, pick the right statement and use the numbers to find GZ.

1. The short one 38 16.422 144 39.501
The first location puts you near the shortest tower.
Which statement is correct?

A. The little white flasher is lined up with the high light meaning you're in the small ships channel, which runs along next to Point Lonsdale (but you have to be little to use it) (AB = 43)

B. The big red light is lined up with the high light meaning you're about to be in trouble (crack out the liferaft!) (AB = 47)

C. The light is occultating green and lined up with the high light meaning you're on the western edge of the small channel. (AB = 39)

Looking back the other way (south) you can see the Point Lonsdale light, about half way up the tower there is a flashing light, sometimes it's green, and sometimes it is red (depends on what the tide is doing).
It will also show lights if the rip is closed to traffic.

2. The Hume Tower 38 16.428 144 39.536

You still keeping an eye on that High Light?

A. The green light is flashing (equal dark and light) and in line with the High Light, meaning your on the eastern edge of the channel. (CD = 65)

B. The red light on the tower is occultating and lined up with High Light. You're on the western edge of the main channel. (CD = 45)

C. What light? No one here but us rats. (CD = 76)

3. Lights in Transit 38 16.432 144 39.553

A. The white light is just showing lined up with the High Light, with a red panel showing to the side. Your slap bang in the middle of the channel. Procede with caution. (EF = 10)

B. The two lighthouses are in line, and the flashing green light means you're good to go. (EF = 35)

C. The red and green altenating lights means it is very near christmas. (EF = 72)

All that is left is substituting numbers to get GZ by:
38 16.ABC 144 39.DEF

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

vs lbh unir n pbva lbh pna frr pybfre, ohg bgurejvfr whfg teno gur pnpur.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)