Pitufa.at

Yesterday we had a day with light winds, did hours of sailing, some motorsailing and a few of motoring. We caught a (smallish) yellow-fin tuna, then a torrential rainfall washed down the boat and we finished the usual post-passage cleaning already during the last hours of the trip. We arrived at 11 pm at the pass and proceeded straight to our favourite bay Onemea. It’s… Continue reading »

Last evening the wind died on us and left us motoring for most of the night. There were a few huffs and puffs between the heavy rain clouds that had us hopefully turn off the engine a few times, but they only lasted for half an hour or so. This morning started grey, again with just a light breeze, but the weather forecast promises some… Continue reading »

The weather forecast was changing daily while we were planning this trip, but so far it seems that we’ve picked a good window. We’re sailing fast and we’re almost on a direct course to the Gambier. Today the sky has turned grey and for tomorrow a wind shift from the NE to the NW is predicted–we’ll see whether it brings squally weather.

After a comfy start we are now heeling and bouncing over the waves–just as usual. 345 miles to go.

This afternoon we left Amanu and we’re not on the way to the Gambier, where we plan to spend the cyclone season. We have light winds and are sailing along slowly, but comfortably.

Amanu is a medium sized atoll with a small village (200 people according to the mayor). It is insofar special, as a wide reef just south of the village forms a nice anchorage that is protected in all directions except from the S and SE. Yesterday we visited the cute little village (with a not so cute rubbish dump nearby from where plastic is blown… Continue reading »

Today this rather nasty passage ended on a very positive note: after tacking at 4 o’clock in the morning we sailed really fast up on the last leg north, caught 2 yellow fin tunas off Hao, made it just before sunset to the pass and found just the right conditions to go into the lagoon. Hao’s pass is infamous for strong currents up to 20… Continue reading »

Somehow this passage is refusing to work out as planned. The waves are higher than expected, the wind more easterly, so we’re bouncing along and heeling at a crazy angle as close-hauled as it gets, Pitufa’s ploughing through the waves slowly and we’re making loads of extra miles to the south and will have to go on a tack up north during the night. It… Continue reading »

Yesterday we reluctantly left Tahanea after 6 weeks, it’s not easy to leave such a beautiful place behind, but the cyclone season has already started and we should move further east. Even on Tahanea the human influence already shows negatively (some reefs are fished empty, some motus have been burned down, it seems that more people from the neighbouring island are visiting and there’s even… Continue reading »