When corals die, we generally think of pollution and global warming as the culprits. But overfishing is also an important factor as weakened reefs need herbivore fish to clean the dead bits, so the coral can recover and regrow. The reefs in Fiji have mostly still beautiful coral, but overfishing is a big problem, especially near densely populated areas. Here in Matuku the people are… Continue reading »
Our Books
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2022
29
Oct
2022
27
Oct
Project weeks
Remember when I wrote that we’d be out and playing with the fishies? Well, the weather didn’t agree with that plan. Ever since we’ve arrived in Matuku it has been windy, cool and rainy in between. So we’ve done a work-program instead of the fun-program we had hoped for. Now there’s a new track for the pole on the mast, a new tap in the… Continue reading »
2022
22
Oct
Returning to places
We’ve been in Fiji now for a while, but we haven’t visited too many places, we enjoy lingering and getting to know the people and see all sides of an island. It’s also great to return to a place: We already spent two weeks here in Matuku last July, so when we returned we were greeted by familiar faces like long-lost family, we brought some… Continue reading »
2022
14
Oct
Passage Soup
Over the last three days a trough passed over Fiji. We briefly considered to set out with the front, but the NW wind prediction looked quite violent with lots of rain, so we decided to wait for the wind shift to W instead. It was a good decision: We set out yesterday afternoon, found the westerlies a few miles south of Suva–and they were still… Continue reading »
2022
14
Oct
Interview on Life Radio
Our radio interview, that was delayed earlier, will be aired this week on Life Radio. On October 17 at 5.45 and 7.45 in the morning show!
2022
13
Oct
Kava
The Fijians drink the ground up root of Kava like we drink beer, just as a social thing in the evening. Kava used to be highly ritualised and mainly for men, but nowadays it’s served casually among friends or family. We were anchored in Vaga Bay on the West side of Beqa Island, when our shore neighbour Albert (Pati) stopped by and invited us for… Continue reading »
2022
11
Oct
Article on Fishing and Canning in Boating NZ
Birgit Hackl, Christian Feldbauer: Can it! Fishing and Canning, Boating New Zealand, Sept. 2022, p. 104–105. Read the online version of this article.
2022
09
Oct
Checking out cyclone holes
Warm weather, calm seas–summer in the South Pacific is the best time for cruising. Unfortunately it’s also the cyclone season, so most yachts are already leaving westwards, but we have decided to stay. Instead of leaving the boat in a cyclone pit or marina, we are checking out different, protected anchorages, so we’ll know where to run and hide when a cyclone is approaching. It’s… Continue reading »
2022
07
Oct
Read our article on our sail wardrobe online at All At Sea
Birgit Hackl, Christian Feldbauer: How many Sails does a Cruising Yacht need?, All At Sea Caribbean, August 2022, p. 44–50. Read the online version of this article or download the whole magazine for free.
2022
07
Oct
Rubbish and pollution
When we were out on the little island Matuku, we asked what they did with their rubbish. The headman explained that they know that burning rubbish causes pollution, so they are filling up sinkholes instead. They would like to reduce their amount of rubbish by recycling, but don’t know how to achieve that. I therefore promised to look into options on Viti Levu, the main… Continue reading »
2022
04
Oct
Interview on LifeRadio (in German ;-))
When we were in Austria, we did some PR for our books and on October 5 one of those interviews will be broadcast. On LifeRadio in Upper Austria at 5.45 UTC+2 at 7.45 UTC+2 and sometime in the afternoon. Here’s the link to the station