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Birgit

Author's details

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

Latest posts

  1. Let there be Rock! — October 7, 2024
  2. Let there be Rock! — October 7, 2024
  3. Einkaufen in Luganville — October 3, 2024
  4. Shopping in Luganville — October 3, 2024
  5. Ein ganzer Monat SMURFY!! — September 28, 2024

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

2024
18
Mar

Lagoon in grey

After some sunny summer months we’re having rainy weather (it’s the rainy season after all) and Kadavu’s lagoon gleams in 2 shades of grey instead of the usual 50 shades of blue and green. We are accumulating more and more damp things on the boat without being able to dry them out, below deck it’s steaming with all hatches closed and mould is growing faster… Continue reading »

2024
13
Mar

One of our articles in each AllAtSea Caribbean issue this year!

Even though we only spent a brief time in the Caribbean, we’re still writing for the popular AllAtSea magazine there! January’s issue featured “Never bored aboard” about hobbies while cruising, there was a reminder to “Protect Parrotfish” in the February issue and now I’ve just downloaded the March issue and found our “Ode to the hydrovane” about our tireless helmsman Wayne Vaney You can either… Continue reading »

2024
08
Mar

Ashamed to be human

Watching reefs bleach and die makes me ashamed to be human. All those fishies looking up at me, the little clown fish trying to seek shelter in his bleached and dying anemone, the chromis in the algae-overgrown skeleton of a staghorn coral–they don’t know why the reefs are dying. But I know. Because of overfishing, erosion, pollution and of course global warming. All caused by… Continue reading »

2024
10
Feb

Still alive

Exactly one year ago we had to swim for our lives in the ripping current of the southern pass of Matuku after our accident with a local boat. We somehow made it through the surf, somehow managed to hold on to the sunken boat for an hour while waiting for rescue. Poor Maikeli didn’t and today we think of him and his widow and daughter…… Continue reading »

2024
01
Feb

Repairs and maintenance

A cruising boat wants constant love and attention–our Pitufa’s no exception. One of the zippers on the sprayhood ripped out yesterday, so we went through our spare material, couldn’t find a new zipper, but at least a sturdy one we had cut out of an old backpack and got out our sewing machine. The problem was as usually not doing the seam, but getting the… Continue reading »

2024
31
Jan

Contradicting forecasts

For now we’ve only had beautiful summer weather, but we’re still checking forecasts twice a day and compare different forecast models whenever we have internet (otherwise we just have SSB and only get the GFS model). The extreme contradiction between the GFS and the ECMWF model is almost comic. We used to say that the GFS overreacts and the ECMWF is more often correct, but… Continue reading »

2024
19
Jan

Bird Island!!

We have only found a handful of islands with seabird colonies in Fiji, so when we heard that little Yabu here in the island cluster just north of Kadavu is a bird sanctuary we were thrilled and wanted to check it out. Locals told us nobody’s allowed ashore (they only go there to pick up the natural fertilizer the birds produce, very clever!) and there’s… Continue reading »

2024
18
Jan

Fever, summerweather, surface temperatures: hot, hot, hot!

2024 didn’t kick off great for us: we had to go to Suva because I had a cracked filling and the super-thorough Fijian dentist discovered quite a few more issues for both of us (Christian did a check-up as well and had to go back for another appointment)–looks like our nice French dentist in Tahiti was a bit slack (blow a noisy raspberry while shrugging… Continue reading »

2024
16
Jan

Article in All At Sea Caribbean about hobbies aboard

Worried that you might get bored cruising? Just bring your hobbies along! Birgit Hackl, Christian Feldbauer: Never bored aboard!, All At Sea Caribbean, January 2024, p. 44–48. Download the whole magazine for free. Our friend Sue doing the cover art for my chilren’s book aboard SY Spruce

2024
08
Jan

Healthcare in Fiji (Suva)

Before we sailed to Fiji we did some online searches and expected only basic facilities (expats basically warned about hospitals). After one and a half years here and plenty of visits to specialists and hospitals we think that the hospitals are quite well equipped, the doctors are mostly competent, friendly and moreover it doesn’t take a long waiting time to get (very affordable) appointments with… Continue reading »

2023
31
Dec

Pearls pearls pearls!

10 years ago we arrived in the Gambier Islands (French Polynesia), where the shiniest black pearls are grown. Soon after I started playing with those pretty ball bearings and I’m still making creative jewellery aboard SY Pitufa

2023
24
Dec

Happy holidays to all our readers!!

2023 was a tough year for us with lots of pain and worries since our severe accident in February. Now it looks like we’re finally over that stretch and we’re looking forward to some fun and adventures in 2024! We wish you all a happy holidays and a healthy, joyful and exciting year 2024!!

2023
13
Dec

Still looking for a Christmas present?

Check out our books on amazon.com! “Sailing towards the Horizon” about our first 5 years as newbie cruisers as paperback and ebook “On Velvet Paws towards the Horizon”: an homage to ship’s cat Leeloo “Cruising Know-How“: a compilation of the best articles we’ve published in 12 years available as ebook, paperback and hardcover in inexpensive black-and-white or in a shiny colour version!

2023
08
Dec

Colour pics for our German travelbook

The German version of our travelbook is now available on amazon with 177 colour photos “Richtung Horizont” sparkling in all colours between the dark indigo of the ocean, via the sparkling turquoise of lagoons to the dazzling greens of the islands…

2023
14
Nov

Fortunately only category 2

Fortunately cyclone Mal is remaining only cat 2 and passing without directly hitting islands. Even though it’s a small and rather weak system, the wave forecast on windy looks scary enough (see below). The western side of Viti Levu will get some wind and there’s already flooding from the heavy rain ashore… Here in Suva no strong winds are predicted and the rain has passed,… Continue reading »

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