Pitufa.at

Our nomadic life-style means that we meet many other cruisers briefly in one place, before our paths go in different directions again. Meeting up with old friends is therefore more precious to us than to other people I suppose. Revisiting the Lau group again with Soraya and Thomas of SY Garulfo we enjoyed our favourite places even more than before–shared joy is twice the joy!

They’ll be off to NZ after a brief visit to Fiji–fair winds and stay safe!

Over the years we have written tons of articles about sailing, DIY, life-style topics, etc. for different magazines. Now I have put 54 of them together in a book, basically a “best of Pitufa”
It’s simply called “Cruising Know-How” and it’s available on Amazon as a black-and-white paperback and in colour as an e-book, paperback and even hard-cover! Prices range from 9,90 USD to 40 USD for the hard-cover, but rest assured, I only get 5 bucks each, no matter which one you buy

If you’ve participated in the Musket Cove Regatta this year, check out our article in this month’s Ahoy magazine on the Downunder Rally page! You might be on the pics

In Fiji it’s traditional to bring a gift when you visit another island/village, not just for foreigners, but also for locals. You present this sevusevu (usually a bundle of kava) and the chief speaks a prayer and welcomes you as a member of the village. In the traditional islands of the Lau group you then get a host family and it’s a very nice cultural insight to spend time with them, do lunch together, go for walks, etc. Our host families have always been very generous with us and willing to share the little they have (veg, fruit, etc.) and of course we want to give presents back in return.

When we were here in Fulaga last year, our host Maika asked us to mend their kayak, but the PVC was broken beyond repair. When we got back to the mainland we started looking for used kayaks and last September we bought one from other cruisers–inflatable, so not quite ideal, but at least a means of transport!

Finally we are underway to the Lau Islands again! The past few days have flown by in a flurry of boat projects, shopping, organising, meeting people, while keeping an eye on the ever-changing weather forecasts… What looked like a nice weather window with NE winds to sail SEwards turned into a nasty front, too short to actually reach our destination. We have postponed our departure for a day and are heading out close-hauled into rough conditions towards Matuku. 95 nm to go!

When our neighbours in the marina gave away their Muir Cheetah windlass for free (they replaced most gadgets on their newly bought boat) Christian couldn’t resist and grabbed it–after all the Cheetah is the bigger (and younger) sister of our beloved, but elderly Muir Cougar. An upgrade from 1000 W to 1200 W, a newer motor–great!
It turned into a major undertaking as we had to order spare parts from Tasmania to refurbish the winch. Last week we started the exchange: we had to empty our forecabin (main storage area) and the forepeak (more storage) and sails, brewing equipment and spare parts were piled up in the salon. Of course we needed most of our tools (live in the lockers in the salon) and as it turned out that the deck beneath the wooden base plate was badly corroded, we needed the angle grinder (other locker) and then we had to primer and paint (yep, yet another locker) before mounting a new wooden plate and the refurbished new pet (pussy cat Cheetah). And all that in rainy Suva in between downpours and hectic canvas-tent building while the salon looked as if a bomb had exploded in the forecabin.
I’m still not allowed any lifting or pulling, so poor Christian slaved away on his own, half of the time stuck with his upper body in the forepeak while working/drilling/installing overhead. Anyway, now the job is done and the pussy cat is purring nicely…
Our cougar has found a new home here in Suva and will be installed on a power boat