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… Continue reading »
2023
26
Sep
2023
25
Sep
Spreading the word about sustainable fishing
Tiki is originally from Ono-i-Lau in the the Lau group, lives in Suva and gives her best to help her island with fund raisers and organising things for the islanders. When she heard about our project for sustainable fishing, she contacted us, so we met up yesterday for a chat, brought some of our newly made brochures for her to take to Ono-i-Lau and she… Continue reading »
2023
25
Sep
Update on the Matuku Marine Reserve
The little Island of Matuku in the Lau Group is installing 3 big no-fishing zones around their island to guarantee sustainable fishing in the future. We have been trying to raise support for the project and a big thank you goes to all of you, who have donated for the project so far! This week we’ve been running around in Suva organising things and there’s… Continue reading »
2023
24
Sep
New windlass
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… Continue reading »
2023
19
Sep
Sailing to Suva
Three days ago we finally had a weather window to start our trip eastwards again. We set out in a stiff breeze from the North with Pitufa rushing downwind in 25 to 30 knots, only to run out of wind once we had rounded the SW cape of Viti Levu with some motoring/motorsailing/drifting to reach the island of Beqa. The following day we used a… Continue reading »
2023
12
Sep
Musket Cove Regatta
The annual regatta event here in Fiji was taking place last week and we were in the middle of it taking photos! 3 races, lots of side events and fun evenings at the Musket Cove Resort Island Bar and Restaurant. As soon as I’ve sorted through all the pics I’ll post a gallery here on the blog
2023
26
Aug
Squids
Most people hear squid and think “Calamari fritti”, but here in Fiji we meet squids when we go snorkeling and these fascinating, colour-changing, curious creatures are so much more than the rubbery rings that are served in restaurants. Quite often they hang out next to the boat, preferably near the anchor chain in line formations, constantly chatting with each other by complicated shifts in colour.… Continue reading »
2023
15
Aug
Passive pollution
Remember the times when smoking was still allowed in restaurants and bars? You’d go in as a non-smoker for a quick drink, cough in the murky-looking air for a while and return home with red eyes, smelly hair and clothes. Those unlucky enough to work in such an environment often had negative effects on their health, so everyone agreed at some point that “passive smoking”… Continue reading »
2023
08
Aug
Winter in Fiji
Fiji lies at 17° south, so it doesn’t get properly cold, but we (tropical islanders that we are) still call June to September winter, get out socks and hoodies and drink lots of tea (to warm up after an outside shower) and mulled wine for sundowners instead of cold beer. Especially while the southeasterly winds are blowing and bring cold air masses from the south… Continue reading »
2023
14
Jul
Why tabu (no-fishing) areas at all and why should they be permanent?
Here’s a summary of the explanation we give islanders here in Fiji. English is a second language for most people here and many of the people who live out on the islands don’t have much formal education, so the info is a bit simplified, but it helps to illustrate the main points. Please feel free to download the pdf if you would like to use… Continue reading »
2023
02
Jul
The Matuku Marine Reserve and how it came into being
Matuku was the first island in the Lau group we visited with our Pitufa in July 2022. The little island doesn’t see many yachts as it lies off the beaten track and we were amazed by the hospitality the villagers showed us and the wonderful underwater landscapes that we found just off our anchorage. During our second visit in Matuku we started raising awareness for… Continue reading »
2023
02
Jul
Donations for the Marine Reserve in Matuku
Tony Philp of Vuda Marina and Coprashed Marina has gracefully offered to provide ground tackle and buoys to mark the borders of the Marine Reserve, thanks Tony! We still would need some funding to support the efforts of the islanders to protect their reef. They will need to patrol the area (especially at night) to make sure no outsiders ruin their Tabu with illegal spearfishing,… Continue reading »
2023
26
Jun
Pics of our road trip around Viti Levu
The coastal road around Fiji’s main island is about 500 km long and features lots of pot holes and construction areas (to fight the “pot holing” as the signs say) and goes by villages that look like colourful little boxes along the road, endless sugar cane fields, barren hills and meditating, regurgitating cows.
2023
25
Jun
Marine reserve in Matuku (Fiji)!
The islanders of Matuku have decided to protect 3 areas–the biggest of them is 4.5 km2(!) and includes mangroves, sandy shelves and a lively, beautiful reef just off the main pass! No spear-fishing or net-fishing will be allowed in this Tabu (traditional ban) and it’s planned to be permanent, so all species of reef fish will find a refuge to grow, multiply and guarantee sustainable… Continue reading »
2023
13
Jun
12th cruising anniversary!
Time flies, incredible that a dozen years have passed since we set out from Croatia! The past few months have been rather tough, but we’re hoping that this new cruising year will bring fun and adventures again! Yesterday we went out to the Island Bar here at Musket Cove Resort to celebrate