Pitufa.at

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• Found Nemo in Papua New Guinea!

  Nowhere else have we encountered such huge numbers and such a variety of anemones and clown fish subspecies!

• 6 months of Smurfy and we’re still struggling

  Smurfy’s the most stubborn person I’ve ever met (of any species and that includes my own pighead), fiercely independent and rebellious–not ideal features of a ship’s cat. None of the cats we’ve had before prepared us for this struggle… Sometimes we’re close to giving up, but then he shows his adorable, dotted belly and we’re melting again. Sometimes we suspect that he’s not quite sane…… Continue reading »

• Giant giant clams!!

  Giant clams rarely get to grow to a size that merits this name. All across the Pacific we hardly ever saw specimen larger than a hand as they are considered too tasty to be left on the reef by locals (and cruisers). Here in PNG we see giants of a meter or more all over the place! Often they are considered a last food reserve… Continue reading »

• Even heat-resilient coral dies in 32°C

  Seeing healthy coral in waters around and even above 31°C around many islands in PNG gave us hope that coral might be able to adapt to rising temperatures. In French Poly and Fiji we saw horrible bleaching events at 30°C already, but the coral near the equator that is used to all-year-round hot water seemed to cope. But then around the northern islands of New… Continue reading »

• Canning fish

  Big fishing fleets empty the Pacific, but we still troll a simple handline whenever we sail between islands and sometimes we get lucky! On the last sail we caught a jack while still in the lagoon–perfect size and timing and Christian quickly cleaned it with Smurfy eagerly watching and waiting for the first bite of sashimi… When we were in the middle of the passage… Continue reading »

• Clem’s Place

  Clem’s Place on Tunung Island on the northern tip of New Hanover is a lodge for alternative tourists who really want to experience small-island life, go snorkeling, fishing and camping. Clem doesn’t just make his own guests welcome, but is also happy to receive visiting yachties! We got a tour of the village and Clem explained the different projects he is trying for a more… Continue reading »

• Reef check with kids

  Last week we visited Tunung, an island on the NW side of New Hanover. Clem’s place is lodge with a good reputation among divers and nature lovers and Clem, who also works on other projects for sustainability on the island, asked us to take some of the school kids from the island into their no-fishing zone to talk about coral and the role of different… Continue reading »

• Island kids are just incredible :-)

  When we got back from snorkeling off Snake Island, the boys from the island paddled by, just as Christian was grabbing a brush to clean the rudder. “Do you want to help him?”, I asked. “Yes, we want to help!”, came the immediate answer in a choir. No hesitation, no discussion among themselves, no asking for money. I got out some more goggles and brushes… Continue reading »

• Snake Island

  Last week we anchored off the smallest inhabited island we’ve ever seen: just a rock with a strip of beach, a few trees (full of noddie terns) and 11 people on it! The 6 boys were thrilled to have a sailboat anchored next to their home (the first one ever!) and kept us company. Usually they paddle to the neighbouring island for school, but at… Continue reading »

• Photos of the Marine Protected Area Nonovaul

• Clearance and shopping in Kavieng

  Checking in in Kavieng is a pleasure: we had done our online-evisa (50 USD per person) and sent off an email with a prearrival notification beforehand, so when we arrived in Kavieng we simply anchored in front of the friendly Nusa Resort (they take separated rubbish, so make sure you keep burnables, recylable plastic and cans separate!!), took a taxi boat over to town and… Continue reading »

• Book recommendation “Seenomaden”

  Before we even went sailing for the first time we were already inspired by Doris’ and Wolf’s stories and photos. After watching their presentations about the magical places they visited with their SY Nomad we were even more determined to go cruising… Of course I read Doris’ book then and loved it! In the meantime we have met Doris and Wolf out here in the… Continue reading »

• Book recommendation

  A fellow sailor has written and illustrated a super-sweet book about an octopus and his adventures. It’s for very young readers from 2 to 7 years old. German only though… “Olli Oktopus findet eine Taucherbrille” is the first part of a series and available on Amazon!

• A boat garden

  We love to linger in remote places, but of course you can’t just go shopping for fresh herbs, salad or veg on an uninhabited island… Therefore it’s great to grow some and we usually have basil, mint, spring onions, parsley and sometimes even bellpeppers, chilis, pak choy or tomatoes growing in pots underneath the sprayhood. They are placed on a non-skid mat and secured with… Continue reading »

• How do boaters without a ship’s cat manage?

  Smurfy has turned from a docile kitten to a raucous teenager within a few weeks. At least he’s still eager to help with every task Christian and I try to accomplish… How did we get anything done before we got our Smurfy?