Whenever we stay longer in a place I try to visit the schools and do a little presentation about sustainability and environmental issues. At primary schools this means mainly presenting some local wildlife and its “function” for eco-systems to explain why they are worth protecting. E.g. bird droppings are fertilizers for the soil and the lagoon, parrot fish are important as they clean the reef,… Continue reading »
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2022
28
Feb
2022
25
Feb
2022
12
Feb
Beautiful Rapa
The main bay of Rapa is protected from the long swell that comes up from the S and SW most of the time, but the other bays around the island are open to it. Last week the swell was down, so we took Pitufa exploring. We were rewarded with stunning mountain views, sheer cliffs and beautiful underwater landscapes. Anchoring turned out to be quite tricky,… Continue reading »
2022
08
Feb
Toilet repairs
Toilet troubles are a cruisers’s nightmare. The plastic base plate of our Jabsco was cracked and we were worried that it would turn into an ejector seat on passage (just imagine the mess, YUCK!). Fortunately the part was on stock in Tahiti (at Ocean2000) and we spent a fun day dismounting and remounting the whole thing (disgusting, but fortunately not quite as bad as expected).… Continue reading »
2022
04
Feb
Going Bananas! Article in Cruising World
Christian Feldbauer, Birgit Hackl: Going Bananas! What do you when the whole stalk of green bananas turns yellow overnight?, Cruising World, January/February 2022. Read the online version of this article.
2022
04
Feb
Birgit is on the cover of All-at-Sea magazine!
Birgit Hackl, Christian Feldbauer: Passage Blues, All At Sea Caribbean, February 2022, p. 32–34. Download the whole magazine for free.
2022
04
Feb
New windows for our sprayhood
One of the old plexi windows of our sprayhood got smashed in on the rough trip to Rapa. We ordered a roll from Tahiti and spent three days replacing the windows. Not an easy task to stuff so much material underneath Miss Pfaff (our sturdy sewing machine). They turned out surprisingly wrinkle-free and now we have a panorama view again! At least partially–the garden’s back… Continue reading »
2022
01
Feb
Testing the mooring in strong winds
The main bay of Rapa with its two villages is a windy place when it’s blowing from the east, in all other directions we don’t see steady winds, but strong gusts whirling down the mountains. This pictures shows Pitufa testing the new mooring in 45 knots… Local boats were still buzzing across the bay on that day, fishermen going out on the ocean–the people of… Continue reading »