Impressions of our visit of Tauna in December 2013 while Birgit’s mum was visiting us.
Dec
24
Another Article in All-at-Sea Caribbean Magazine
Birgit Hackl: Cruising with Cats, All At Sea Caribbean, December 2013, p. 42–44. Free download from allatsea.net.
Dec
24
Smurfy Wishes
We wish you all a smurfy Christmas and an equally smurfy new year!
Dec
21
Magical Place
We are anchored off the little motu Tauna in the very east of the archipelago. It’s hard to describe how magical this place is. A painting with such a colour composition of all possible shades of turquoise, blue, and green would only be called kitschy. Indeed, what we get to see looks almost unreal. The motu is only tiny. It’s covered with palm trees which… Continue reading »
Dec
19
Sugar Quest
The pre-christmas shopping frenzy has reached as far as the remote Gambier islands–everybody’s stocking up to bake and make pig champagne. The shops have been without sugar for a month, last time the supply ship arrived sugar was sold out within 2(!) hours. Yesterday the next one arrived and we started asking at the shops immediately, were sent away 3 times (not yet unpacked), but… Continue reading »
Dec
15
Guest on Pitufa
Birgit flew to Tahiti at the beginning of December to pick up her Mom at the airport and to do some shopping (she bought lots of goodies at the big carrefour in Papeete and put them in a packet on a supply ship that will arrive here next week). After a whole week in hot, humid, busy Papeete it was just great to get back… Continue reading »
Dec
03
Shadowmail for Winlink and Satphone users?
Sailmail offers a service called shadowmail to their subscribed clients. It allows users to monitor their land-based, non-Sailmail e-mail accounts via low-bandwidth Sailmail and to forward messages when requested. It even integrates nicely into the Airmail software, showing theses shadow folders like normal mailboxes. (See the official info page for more information.) For cruisers such a service is definitely a useful thing. I… Continue reading »
Dec
02
Up Mount Mokoto
Yesterday was one of these incredibly clear days with southern winds (no longer chilly, but pleasantly cool) and a deep blue sky without a single cloud. We used it to hike up Mount Mokoto–apparently the second highest peak, but it looks exactly the same height as it’s neighbour Mount Duff (officially the highest mountain). The ascent wasn’t difficult, but extremely steep and despite the pleasant… Continue reading »