We’ve been confined to the boat for 5 days during nasty weather with lots of rain, sustained winds of 30 knots (54 km/h) and gusts howling down the mountains with up to 50 knots (90 km/h). We were feeling a bit sorry for ourselves until we read on the news that Europe has been hit by far worse weather with horrible floodings, mudslides and snow… Continue reading »
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2018
31
Oct
2018
31
Oct
Photos of Maria (Austral Islands)
And here’s yet another one:
2018
30
Oct
Cruising info on Rurutu
We added a small cruising guide about Rurutu (Austral Islands) to our blog, click here to read it.
2018
29
Oct
Indoor program
There’s a front moving by just north of us and we get grey, rainy and very windy weather here. The wind’s howling over the montain and gusts up to 40 knots push Pitufa from one side to the other. Fortunately the sea’s are (still??) rather calm, so we’re having productive indoor-project days. I got the jewellery workshop out, Christian’s working on the computer and Leeloo… Continue reading »
2018
28
Oct
Article about Pitufa’s Atlantic crossing
There is a new article in the current issue (Nov./Dec.) of Ocean7 as well as in the November issue of All at Sea Caribbean. It’s about our Atlantic crossing in 2011/12 and what we think about the ARC. Birgit Hackl, Christian Feldbauer: Why we chose not to join an organized rally, All At Sea Caribbean, November 2018, p. 36–38. Free download from allatsea.net. Birgit Hackl,… Continue reading »
2018
27
Oct
Anchorage on the western side of Rurutu
Yesterday was a busy day in the harbour, because the supply ship arrived. It anchored outside and barges were taking containers in and out all day long. Even though the harbour is fairly new, apparently it was constructed before the freighter company got a new vessel for the Austral Islands which happens to be slightly too big for the harbour… The wind was easterly and… Continue reading »
2018
25
Oct
Pics from Rarotonga
And here’s the next delayed one:
2018
25
Oct
Hiking on Rurutu
The more we see of Rurutu, the more we fall in love with it. We’ve had a few sunny days and used them to explore all around the island. All along the shores we’ve found white beaches with rugged cliffs behind them. There are lots of caves, but no signs to lead tourists there (the locals know where they are anyway, so why bother with… Continue reading »
2018
23
Oct
Photos of Aitutaki
At the moment our galleries are quite delayed because we are either at remote places without any Internet or busy exploring and taking new pictures Here a few snapshots from Aitutaki in the Southern Cook Islands.
2018
20
Oct
Beautiful Rurutu
We had little info about Rurutu before we got here, but the island is a pleasant surprise for us. In the Lonely Planet Rurutu is described as a raised atoll, but then it should be just a flat plateau surrounded by coral cliffs like Niue, instead it has cliffs divided by flat coastal regions and high mountains inland, so we think that it must have… Continue reading »
2018
18
Oct
Touring around the Austral Islands
After an excursion through the Cook Islands, Pitufa is back in French Polynesia! We are currently in the ‘Archipel des Australes’ and hop from island to island, starting with Maria in the Northwest and finishing with Rapa Iti in the Southeast.
2018
16
Oct
Time for a new generation?
When we bought Pitufa 10 years ago, she was equipped with navigation instruments by Robertson/Simrad which were already 10 years old then. We are still using these instruments, despite their growing need for life-sustaining measures. About five years ago, the mast top unit of the wind instrument was the first component to quit. On the passage from Galapagos to French Polynesia we soon learned to… Continue reading »
2018
15
Oct
Kissy-kissy country
We have just anchored in the little harbour of Rurutu, which is a big island with a fringing reef, lush vegetation and steep cliffs. We’ll check in later at the gendarmerie to re-enter French Polynesia officially. We’re back in the land of speaking French and giving kisses
2018
14
Oct
Close-hauled
We are rushing along nicely, going close-hauled under blue skies. 110 nm to Rurutu
2018
13
Oct
Heading further East
Yesterday we managed to visit the northern motu, this time in even rougher conditions but with sun and blue skies. The small, shallow lagoon was gleaming light mint, the motus were gleaming in white and fresh green–Maria is stunningly beautiful… A group of young brown boobies circled us while we were taking the dinghy across the lagoon, sometimes almost touching us with their wings –… Continue reading »