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2020
24
Nov
Here are some impressions from our quest for wildlife and wilderness in the Tuamotus. A few specks survived the ever expanding, destructive copra industry and unsustainable exploitation. We document, report, and try to raise awareness.
(58 photos)
2020
23
Nov
Birgit Hackl, Christian Feldbauer: 10 Fun Ways To Flood A Bilge, All At Sea Caribbean, November 2020, p. 38–42. Download the whole magazine for free or read the online version of this article.
2020
19
Nov
We arrived in Tahiti last night after the breeze had died down–we had to motor the last few miles. It looks like we may get a weather window for the Austral Islands next week, so we’ll try to get all our chores done quickly before that. I have to visit my dentist, we have to repair our foresail and of course we’ll think of a few bits and pieces that we have to buy in Papeete, but we’ll try to get away as quickly as possible again.
2020
18
Nov
This morning the wind dropped to 5 to 9 knots and Pitufa was stumbling along goose-winged. We got out the gennaker–it took us about an hour until we had everything sorted out, quite a cumbersome procedure. Now Pitufa’s flying along under that huge blue-yellow lightwind sail and it’s so calm that Leeloo came up to check whether we’re already at anchor. Pitufa’s companionway ladder is 6 feet high and almost vertical–quite a climb for a 20 year old cat 
66 nm to go!
2020
18
Nov
We’re having a slow, but comfy ride. A bit rolly sometimes, but mostly like being at anchor. I’ve written two articles in two days and now I’m working on a ‘through the tuamotus’ gallery for our blog. Christian’s proof-reading my book and programming. Very different from our recent trips (climbing along walls, extreme cooking with ballistic ingredients, but mostly seasickish lying around, trying to hold on to the sofa ). 140 nm to go!
2020
17
Nov
We’re having a smooth down-wind sail in light winds. We’re not doing much more than 4 knots, but it’s really comfy. Just now we’re passing through a little squall, it’s sunny despite the downpour and we’re sailing through a rainbow gate 
175 nm to go!
2020
16
Nov
Cruiser’s plans are always written in the sand and the weather as well as outer circumstances dictate our itineraries. We set out from Tahanea this morning planning to sail straight down to Tubuai (Austral Islands). When we rolled out the foresail we saw that the leech line had ripped open the top half of the sail–sailing close-hauled the sail wouldn’t have its proper shape and we would cause further damage. We have therefore changed course and are headed for Tahiti. I’ll see a dentist there (a loose filling needs attention), we’ll get out the sewing machine and repair the sail and then we’ll be hopefully soon be able to continue to the Australs. We won’t go ashore more than necessary–Covid numbers are soaring in Papeete. 255 nm to go!
2020
16
Nov
Our old Rutland wind generator died after 11 years of faithful service in the Gambier last April when we didn’t tie it down during a 60 knot squall (our own fault, but the weather forecast had predicted nothing that violent, it was in the middle of the night and when we finally got up to save it during rain and storm, it was too late…).
We liked the Rutland a lot, because it’s small and very quiet–nothing worse than those howling banshees some cruisers have sitting on their sterns. Even though it doesn’t produce lots of energy it constantly contributes during the night and it’s definitely great on grey and windy days. We therefore ordered the newer version of our old one again (Rutland 914i), got it last week and now it’s already humming happily up on the radar arch!
2020
15
Nov
In Tahiti the Covid situation is similarly serious as in Europe–the people put lots of effort into precautions in the beginning, but international flights brought in too many cases (interestingly enough mainly politicians and administrative staff, not tourists as expected). There’s a curfew now in Tahiti and Moorea, but inter-island traffic goes on and so more and more cases are reported from remote islands… Very worrying.
We left (slightly touristy) Fakarava yesterday and the 50 nm to Tahanea turned out to be longer (we had to tack 6 times) and rougher than expected. We were riding one squall after the other and reached Tahanea at midnight. Steering through the pass in a moonless night with 3 knots of ingoing current was a bit exciting…
It was worth it though: snorkeling the pass yesterday we met 3 big manta rays
2020
08
Nov
I’ve just finished writing a historical novel about the Tahitian women who were abducted by the mutineers of the Bounty when they set out to find a hiding place in the Pacific. The topic is of course well-known, but presented from a completely new angle with a modern, perky narrating voice.
Writing the book was the easy part (just 120 000 words and two years of work ), now comes the tricky one–finding a publisher. If you’re a publisher or literary agent or you know one–give me a shout
2020
05
Nov
In some remote places of French Polynesia there is still an abundancy of fish and clams on the reefs and coconut crabs hide on motus. The resources of such tiny eco-systems are very limited though and overhunting and overfishing is always a problem when locals do raids without much thought of sustainability.
Cruisers sometimes go along with this ‘living off the land’ mentality and get carried away, filling their freezers with luxury food for free, because ‘there were so many’. Even if you take only one–imagine what happens when 100s of yachts stop per year and each one of them takes just one grouper, one coconut crab and one lobster… It’s so much nicer to go snorkeling on a reef where fish are not terrified of divers…
Polynesians are wonderfully generous, but it is still advisable to politely refuse when offered female lobsters or tiny coconut crabs.
Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints and give those sailing in your wake the chance to still experience wildlife.
Coconut crab
2020
05
Nov
We are very worried about shrinking bird populations in French Polynesia. Locals burn down motus for more palm tree plantations, but also cruisers unthinkingly disturb the few remaining ‘wild’ little islands.
If you get lucky and find one of those motus with shrubs, high, deciduous trees and circling birds explore with care: you might see red-footed boobies nesting in trees, frigate birds, noddies and white terns next to them. If tiny, sparrow-like creatures follow you around, you’ve encountered endangered endemic Tuamotu sandpipers (‘Titi’ in Polynesia)! Brown boobies, masked boobies and tropic birds nest on beaches, are therefore most vulnerable and have already become extinct in most places. Only tiny colonies of crested terns and sooty terns (they nest on rocky islands) remain.
When you anchor off a motu with birds be careful not to disturb those last refuges and observe from the distance:
- don’t light fires
- don’t have beachparties
- don’t walk dogs
- don’t go kitesurfing in the vicinity
Even a harmless beach walk can shy parents away long enough to end lethal for a small chick…
Young boobies are very curious and will plunge-dive relentlessly on a trolled lure. It’s best to roll in the fishing line, whenever they are around!
Find more info about the birds of French Polynesia on the webpage of the ornithologist society www.manu.pf
Brown Booby
2020
04
Nov
We usually don’t stay too long in Fakarava, because it’s one of the bigger atolls (a long way to a protected anchorages when the wind shifts) and a bit too busy for our taste (dive tourists, charter cats), but we have to admit that it’s certainly a very convenient place to be: the supply ship comes every Wednesday and the supermarkets are really well stocked, a local farm sells super-high quality veg, free internet at the yachtservices and full cell phone connection all over the atoll…
Today’s supply ship will hopefully bring our new dinghy, a wind generator, foam for our couch, fabric for upholstery and catfood for Leeloo!
2020
25
Oct
We were worried sick when Leeloo suddenly had a haemorrhage in the vitrious body of her left eye five weeks ago–just after we had arrived in the Tuamotus… We tried to get a long distance diagnosis from different vets and ordered drops to lower the eye pressure from Tahiti. After a dozen phone calls to different vets, pharmacies, a money transfer via the post office and a day of waiting at the airport we had the meds, but would they work? A few more bleedings followed, the eye went blind, but Leeloo recovered. It’s quite stressful having a geriatric crew member, but fortunately she’s a tough old girl…
2020
19
Oct
On our second visit to the village we already have the feeling that we know most of the faces here (no wonder, only 65 people live on the atoll) and we were greeted like returning friends. We talked with the mayor and the policeman again, praising their efforts to protect the untouched motus, trying to emphasize how precious and rare such wilderness is.
Then we did a little presentation at the school about the local species and the fragility of such a little eco-system as an atoll. The kids were super-interested and cute (one class with kids between 5 and 10 years), aahing and ooohing the pics of their birds here–they only know the most common species (like noddies, white terns and frigate birds). We cobbled together the French, Tahitian and Paumotu names for rarer species as well and then we went on to the role of trees on a coral atoll. Fortunately there are still quite a few motus here that have not been burned down and turned into copra plantations. No trees means no compost and no space for nesting birds, no birds mean not enough nutrients (guano) for the motus and the coral, no coral means no fish and no fish means nothing to eat. I think I made my (very simplified but still valuable) point
