ende

Birgit

Author's details

Name: Birgit
Date registered: September 22, 2010
Jabber / Google Talk: admin

Latest posts

  1. “Richtung Horizont” jetzt auch in Farbe!!! — December 8, 2023
  2. Colour pics for our German travelbook — December 8, 2023
  3. Nur Kategorie 2 — November 14, 2023
  4. Fortunately only category 2 — November 14, 2023
  5. Starkwind-Warnung — November 12, 2023

Most commented posts

  1. The Matuku Marine Reserve and how it came into being — 11 comments
  2. Donations for the Marine Reserve in Matuku — 10 comments
  3. Hilfsprojekte für Matuku — 7 comments
  4. Leeloo 2000–2021 — 6 comments
  5. Survived! — 6 comments

Author's posts listings

2023
26
Aug

Squids

by Birgit

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 »

1 comment

2023
15
Aug

Passive pollution

by Birgit

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 »

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2023
08
Aug

Winter in Fiji

by Birgit

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 »

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2023
14
Jul

Why tabu (no-fishing) areas at all and why should they be permanent?

by Birgit

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 »

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2023
02
Jul

The Matuku Marine Reserve and how it came into being

by Birgit

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 »

11 comments

2023
02
Jul

Donations for the Marine Reserve in Matuku

by Birgit

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 »

10 comments

2023
26
Jun

Pics of our road trip around Viti Levu

by Birgit

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.

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2023
25
Jun

Marine reserve in Matuku (Fiji)!

by Birgit

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 »

2 comments

2023
18
May

Marina life in Vuda

by Birgit

We have successfully avoided marinas over the past 10 years–the last time we had to go in was in the Cape Verde Islands to have a shroud replaced. It’s not just a matter of saving money, we just don’t enjoy being in a berth: creaking lines, noisy neighbours with clanging and banging halyards, it’s hot, you can’t go swimming, the wind’s never from the bow… Continue reading »

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2023
12
May

No fish no reef, no reef no fish!

by Birgit

Scientific models predict an El Niño period for the next (southern) summer, meaning that we can expect rising ocean surface temperatures. The consequences here in the Pacific will be most likely more severe cyclones and bleached coral reefs (and many other types of catastrophes around the world). Coral can only recover from storm damages and bleaching when lots of herbivore fish keep the weak reef… Continue reading »

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2023
06
May

The oceans are protected–at least in theory…

by Birgit

Have you read the news? The High Seas Treaty aims to turn 30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030, to safeguard and recuperate marine nature. The president of French Poly announces one marine reserve after the other, browsing through the news about other Pacific nations one can be happy to see that most of the waters around the Marshall Islands are protected and… Continue reading »

2 comments

2023
02
May

How to replace an all-rubber cutlass bearing

by Birgit

We spent a week running after mechanics to help us remove the cutlass bearing, were strung along and advised impossible solutions until Christian finally decided to build a make-shift pusher himself: only 2 pieces of wood, 1 piece of steel tube, 2 threaded bars, 4 big washers and 6 nuts were necessary to makeshift this ingenious gadget! When we replaced our cutlass bearing 3 years… Continue reading »

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2023
28
Apr

Great antifouling for aluminium boats

by Birgit

Finding an antifouling that actually helps against growth is tricky for the owners of aluminium boats. After lots of disappointments we finally got a great product in Tahiti: Carboline Sea Barrier Alloy 100. We had it on for 3 years, never had to haul out and when we did last week it still looked good! We couldn’t find Carboline in Fiji, so we had it… Continue reading »

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2023
24
Apr

Shitty project

by Birgit

Christian had a fun day yesterday exchanging the hoses going to and (worse) from the toilet. After 20 years of use the job was overdue and pumping the toilet should be much easier now In the meantime I was sanding some corrosion bubbles on the bow–climbing on scaffolding with angle grinder and orbital sander is not what the physio therapist suggested, but I can’t stand… Continue reading »

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2023
23
Apr

On the hard in Vuda marina

by Birgit

We hauled out last Thursday in Vuda to do some jobs on Pitufa: antifouling, little paint jobs, changing thru-hulls and some plumbing, etc. Much to our surprise little Pitufa didn’t fit into the 63 t travelift: her high stern and radar arch exceeded the limits and Christian had to climb up to quickly to remove some bits before we could be put on the hard… Continue reading »

2 comments

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