Pitufa.at

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 for a short while and would like to stay a bit longer, but the weather forecast shows a two-day window of NW winds–too good a chance to let it pass by… We’ll therefore head out towards Fakarava today!

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 breeder, but check out your local animal shelter and give an abandoned cat (or dog) the chance to enjoy life again.
Thanks a lot to the folks at Tierheim Linz: https://www.tierheim-linz.at/

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.

From July until November humpback whales migrate up to warm waters, where the females give birth in the protection of lagoons, undisturbed by large predators (and hopefully humans). During those months you can often see groups of whales near outer reefs, sometimes in passes or even anchorages. Due to the lock-down we haven’t moved much this year, so we’ve only had our first whale encounter of the season today. We only saw them from far away, some broad, black backs and then the huge tail fins waving good-bye as they dived down. Hopefully we’ll get lucky and some of those gentle giants will come closer to the boat soon!

French Polynesia has been in a lock-down now for 2 weeks. Low vaccination rates led to an explosion in cases after the delta variant arrived and really made this lock-down necessary. We fully agree that measures were needed to limit the spreading of Covid here. Yes, it makes sense to prohibit sports events and group activities where people gather. But why harass surfers and paddlers who are out alone? The police seriously goes out into the lagoon to check whether they have filled out a form and somehow carry it with them (you ARE allowed physical exercise, but only with a form in your pocket). Why limit opening hours of shops? The result is that more people crowd the shops at the same time… The police are stopping cars and pedestrians to check whether they carry their forms and I did not see them disinfecting their hands in between checks. Vaccinations are given without appointments, so unvaccinated people are encouraged to queue in front of the centers…

Some common sense–both from the authorities and from the people–is needed in this situation. Avoiding crowds, wearing a mask and washing hands is not that difficult.
We just try to stay away from it all in the meantime in our autonomous little nutshell…

Those of ship’s cat Leeloo’s fans who are roaming remote places can now get the kindle version of her adventurous life. Usually internet is way too pricey here in Fr. Poly to tackle big uploads, but Vini (mobile phone provider) gave out lock-down data presents and I used it all up to create an e-book! Available now on Amazon