Pitufa.at

Finding an antifouling that actually helps against growth is tricky for the owners of aluminium boats. After lots of disappointments we finally got a great product in Tahiti: Carboline Sea Barrier Alloy 100. We had it on for 3 years, never had to haul out and when we did last week it still looked good! We couldn’t find Carboline in Fiji, so we had it… Continue reading »

Christian had a fun day yesterday exchanging the hoses going to and (worse) from the toilet. After 20 years of use the job was overdue and pumping the toilet should be much easier now In the meantime I was sanding some corrosion bubbles on the bow–climbing on scaffolding with angle grinder and orbital sander is not what the physio therapist suggested, but I can’t stand… Continue reading »

It’s easy to avoid all those motions, especially on a boat, right? In the beginning I counted myself lucky that my ribs were healing quickly and I thought I’d be back to normal in a jiffy. Now it’s been two months since we had the accident and my ribs still refuse to get stable. I’ve been cautious all the time, only tried some gentle exercises,… Continue reading »

Our friends arrived loaded with spare parts for Pitufa–one of them was a replacement for the battery monitor that got fried when we were hit by lightening in Suva. Yesterday Christian finally got round to installing it and the little job turned into a full day project as the shunt wouldn’t fit into the battery compartment and Christian had to remake the whole mounting. One… Continue reading »

My ribs are still causing me some pain and trouble, but snorkeling I hardly notice them! The Yasawas have been a bit disappointing underwater. We had assumed that islands that rely heavily on tourism would protect the underwater world for the sake of their attraction on visitors, but most places we have seen are heavily overfished and the coral is also not in great shape.… Continue reading »

Almost 4 weeks have passed since our accident. Christian’s as good as new and I’m now also making good progress after some set-backs. My ribs and lungs have healed well (I slept lying down in bed for the first time again!) and yesterday I got the results of the MRI scan of my elbow and the all-clear to start moving it gently! So today we… Continue reading »

We installed 2 moorings for sailboats in the beautiful, but difficult anchorage in the bay of Rapa Iti (French Polynesia) together with the local community to protect the delicate staghorn coral. There are two strong, safe moorings for sailboats there now, so crews no longer have to risk their anchor and chain in the deep bay with plenty of coral heads. The article can be… Continue reading »

Yesterday we went to Suva to meet up with an NGO about the Tabu and to do some grocery shopping. We were quite astounded when strangers stopped us on the street to shake our hands and wish us well. Turns out we were on the cover of the Fiji Sun–we had given an interview the week before… Despite all the cheering and good wishes, the… Continue reading »

John Hembrow of DownUnderRalley noticed our reports about our experience of spending the cyclone season cruising the Lau Group of Fiji. He got in touch with us to ask whether we wanted to contribute to the Ahoy online magazine and much to our surprise and delight, Pitufa’s on the cover of the current edition! The magazine’s free, so enjoy!

Yesterday I had a CT-Scan done and when I took the CD back to the Pacific Specialist Healthcare centre, experienced Dr. Delasau couldn’t believe the images. “Looking at the scans I would schedule you for immediate surgery, but looking at you walking and talking like you do, I just say, keep doing what you’ve been doing!” Turns out I have 5 broken ribs (broken in… Continue reading »