Since Christian flew to Austria last week, it’s just us 3 girls here (counting Leeloo and of course Pitufa). Life in Taina has been productive and quiet so far, but last night a 3m southwesterly swell arrived around midnight and made an end to our calm lifestyle. The reef that protects the anchorage isn’t very wide and swell turns the lagoon into a chaotic witches’… Continue reading »
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2019
18
Aug
2019
08
Aug
Exchange of roles
Christian’s finger still looks a bit like Frankenstein’s monster, but it’s healing. The stitches will come out on Monday… Today we wanted to fill up with diesel, but as Christian can’t really use his right hand at the moment we couldn’t follow our usual routine with me at the wheel and Christian at the bow. Instead he was at the helm and I had to… Continue reading »
2019
03
Aug
Article “Are you an innocent bystander?” in All-at-Sea July 19 Issue
Originally titled “Behind the scenes”, this article discusses whether cruisers who travel slowly and stay long in places and so can glimpse behind the scenes, should remain observers or try to get involved. Birgit Hackl, Christian Feldbauer: Are you an innocent bystander?, All At Sea Caribbean, July 2019, p. 56–62. Free download from allatsea.net.
2019
01
Aug
Article on Anchoring Techniques in Austrian Yachtrevue
Christian Feldbauer, Birgit Hackl: Ankern–Vertrauen und Kotrolle, Yachtrevue, August 2019, p.62–66.
2019
31
Jul
Pearl jewellery designs
On rainy days I get out my workshop and create necklaces, bracelets, anklets, etc. with pearls from the Gambier Islands. Each design is unique, I work with cords made of leather, rubber and stainless steel. The so-called ‘black’ pearls are actually shining in all colours of the rainbow and I love playing with them
2019
31
Jul
2019
29
Jul
Disappointing medical emergency service in Tahiti
We arrived last week in Tahiti and started working on a packed schedule: catching up with a workload that requires internet, then we had a rental car for a day to get our yearly gigantic provisioning done and right in the middle of all that rushing around Christian had an accident–not out in the big city, but at home… Our swimming ladder folds up and… Continue reading »
2019
23
Jul
2019
21
Jul
Lagoon Tide Simulator
I’ve just uploaded a website that contains an interactive lagoon tide simulator. It lets you play with different parameters like swell height or how open/closed the lagoon is and instantly draws a graph with the tides and shows when the current in a pass is in or outgoing. Experimenting with this simulator may help understanding lagoon passes better. Just follow this link.
2019
18
Jul
Almost there
We’re not big fans of sailing, but this time we really can’t complain. No squalls, no calm weather, just steady, fast sailing. Just 20 nm to go!
2019
17
Jul
Fast sailing
We are eating up the miles in very pleasant conditions. Just 195 nm to go!
2019
17
Jul
Leaving the Tuamotus
We spent the last two days on the Southern side of Tahanea, checking out the bird motus there and counting nesting couples as we always do. There seem to be less every year, too many visiting locals (from Faaite) and cruisers drive them away… It’s always hard to leave the Tuamotus and head towards the hustle and bustle of Tahiti, but we have to make… Continue reading »
2019
14
Jul
Sharks and rays
We’ve just had a perfect week here in Tahanea with sunny skies and mellow conditions. We snorkeled the pass a few times and had close encounters with manta rays that were feeding in the current. Back home we were greeted by our gang of blacktip reef sharks, who hang out around boats hoping for scraps. Whenever we caught a fish the shark feeding from the… Continue reading »
2019
06
Jul
Mara’amu
During the southern winter it’s normal to have phases with strong southeasterly winds. Whenever there’s a big fat high moving by eastwards to the south of us, the winds get accelerated in a squash zone above. These so called mara’amu’s howl at least every 2 weeks over French Polynesia, but the one we’re having now is stronger than the all we’ve seen over the past… Continue reading »
2019
22
Jun
Threatened paradise Tahanea
We arrived in Tahanea after dark, on a squally night before moonrise, but fortunately we know the atoll and its passes so well that we could still enter without worrying too much. We’re meeting up here with friends and we plan on checking the state of the bird motus in the SW. Over the past three years some people from the neighbouring atoll Faaite have… Continue reading »