Pitufa.at

We don’t want to fish and forage in the Tuamotus, so we buy lots and lots of provisioning before heading out. Making dinner plans we don’t ask “What do we fancy?”, but rather “What has to go next?” That doesn’t mean that we’re not cooking gourmet meals though. A few days ago one of the zucchini was getting squishy (resulting in zucchini risotto), then an… Continue reading »

The convergence zone keeps annoying us… One sunny day is followed by a grey, rainy one. Two days ago we sailed south across the lagoon for SE winds (which actually showed up), today we sailed N again close-hauled for predicted NE winds–we’ll see Due to the success of our travel book in German, I’ve decided to translate it into English. I started on “Towards the… Continue reading »

Nonos (tiny little sandflies, not much bigger than 1mm) were “imported” to French Polynesia with the sand ballast tall ships carried. They are known to roam the Marquesas and make many beaches off limits–mosquito repellent doesn’t bother them and the only protection seems to be a layer of coconut own (thick enough to drown them in it…). Unfortunately they are still spreading: sand is transported… Continue reading »

Most people will agree that mass tourism is bad for the environment (except CEOs of big hotel companies maybe), because of all the pollution that comes with it. A certain amount of eco-aware tourism on the other hand really helps protecting nature. As soon as wild animals become a tourist attraction and the locals get some dollars out of that, they will refrain from killing… Continue reading »

The predominant wind direction in the trade wind belt is east. The chain of the Tuamotus is stretched out eastwards from Tahiti, so in order to reach them and then to hop from atoll to atoll, it’s best to wait for a trough or low to move by close enough, to change the wind to the N and then NW. We’ve only been in Tikehau… Continue reading »

The animal shelter of the city of Linz (Austria) is also putting our book about Leeloo on display, 5 Euros per book are dedicated to support their wonderful work. Thinking about all those abandoned velvet paws there who are waiting for a new family makes my heart ache… If you’re considering enriching your life with a pet, don’t buy a kitten or puppy from a… Continue reading »

Dr. Schneck, the vet in Graz (Austria) who helped us getting all our vaccinations, certificates and titer timings right, has agreed to put up “On Velvet Paws Towards the Horizon” in his veterinary clinic. 5 EUR per book go to a local animal protection organisation. Thanks Dr. Schneck! https://www.tierarzt-schneck.at/

…just for Moorea, so not really a passage, but we had flat seas, a steady breeze and it was a nice sail! All the usually automatised moves took some remembering, but everything went well.