Pitufa.at

We arrived in the capital of Vanuatu last week and we’re still getting our bearings, checking out hardware stores and supermarkets–typical cruiser-style We have found plenty of shops so far, but there is less range here and it’s more expensive than in Fiji (as people had warned us ahead). Port Vila is a pleasant little town with a waterfront with restaurants and souvenir shops–everything looks… Continue reading »

Yesterday morning we left Anatom at 5 o’clock in the morning as we expected light winds for the 50 mile sail up to Tanna and we wanted to arrive with daylight. The winds were stronger than expected and it was a fast, close-hauled sail (5 to 7 knots), so we got to the anchorage just after noon. Port Resolution is a bay located on the… Continue reading »

We arrived yesterday at 2 in the morning after a stormy, splashy last sailing night in the cozy protected bay between Anatom and “Mystery Island”. Anatom’s not a port of entry, but you can check in (with pre-authorisation as we had) whenever the officials come here to clear in a cruise ship. Yesterday morning we got an email saying that today’s cruise ship stop was… Continue reading »

It has been another fast sailing day. After ages we have managed to catch a fish again (a smallish barracuda) and we have already processed it and made preserves in the pressure cooker. It’s generally more lively here with little petrels circling the boat and swishing over the waves. We can see Futuna to the north and Anatom ahead, but we still have 45 nm… Continue reading »

Usually it’s a nightmare when the wind dies down after a strong blow, as you’re left with high waves and a madly bucking boat. Yesterday the seas calmed down along with the winds, so we used the welcome break to air the boat and do some domestic chores (baking bread, straining a batch of kefir for banana smoothies and Christian even managed to shave without… Continue reading »

The night was still fast sailing, but now going’s getting a bit slow. According to the grib the wind should pick up soon again. Finally some rays of sunshine this morning! No fish yet… 230 nm to go

It has been a bouncy night with winds of 25 knots+ from the Southeast and confused waves–one of them managed to swamp the cockpit (a very rare occasion on Pitufa). This morning it’s grey again–some sun would be nice. 360 nm to go

During our first week in the capital we tackled our projects full of energy, but then I caught some bug (the air conditioned shops and offices in combination with coughing/sneezing people always get me…) which rendered me basically useless for a week. On top of that the weather turned windy and rainy, which complicates things as well and keeps interrupting projects. We hope to be… Continue reading »