Its a bit squally, but today we’ve had a fast sailing day and caught a fish! 90 nm to go.
2019
04
Nov
2019
03
Nov
Setting out yet again
When I say ‘we bought a new fridge’ landlubbers think we got a new box and put it into its place. On a boat things work differently: we had to get out the old tubes and evaporator, drill new holes into the stainless fridge compartment, install the compressor, evaporator and install the tubes. After that we bent some plexiglass and screwed it in to keep things from sliding under the evaporator.
After 3 days of hectic working we managed to get Pitufa ready to set out again with today’s weather window: two days of NE, then N and NW winds should blow us to the Tuamotus!
2019
31
Oct
Back in Tahiti for repairs
After two exciting days, but rather sleepless nights off Makatea (rolly anchorage) we set sails for Tikehau, an atoll just due north and a nightsail away.
Underway we noticed that the fridge was acting strangely, with the compressor working constantly drawing almost no electricity (a sign for a gas leak).
It wasn’t easy to turn around, say good-bye to the idea of turquoise lagoons and head back to Tahiti. We arrived in Tahiti last night and got lucky this morning: we found a full plug-in unit (prefilled evaporator, compressor, etc. you ‘just’ plug together–I say ‘just’ because we still have to rip out the old system, drill new holes for the new ones, etc. etc. And as we’re already at it Christian also changes the plumbing underneath the sink (the hoses are easily accessible now and won’t be afterwards).
In the meantime we try to keep our provisioning of cheese, sausages, veg etc.(all for several months) cool with ice from the supermarket…
2019
29
Oct
Tour of Makatea
We’ve been busy exploring Makatea for the last few days. It’s a raised atoll with a plateau over steep, white cliffs towering over a strip of flat land around the island and a fringing reef. The reef falls off steeply, but the friendly locals have installed 4 moorings for sailboats–basically their only tourists apart from a few travellers who arrive with the supply ship from time to time (there is no airport).
Yesterday we took a hike with fellow cruisers we met here and they showed us the main attraction of the island: big caves with pools of freshwater, connected by tunnels. Swimming under the low ceiling we reached the next chambers full of stalactites and stalagmites. On our way back we were spontaneously invited for lunch by a family sitting out in the garden–Polynesians are just fabulous.
Today we did a guided tour around the island (our contribution to the tourism here) and visited the old guano excavation sites. From 1917 on a French company with 3000 workers dug off huge quantities of sand and rock to get the phosphate it contains (long-gone bird colonies left huge quantities of poo, so-called guano, which is full of phosphate). They stopped in 1966, leaving behind a barren surface full of deep holes and lots of machinery. By now nature has recovered, the jungle has grown over the scarred land and the huge, rusty machines, locomotives, etc. give the landscape a post-apocalyptic feeling.
Instead of encouraging the low-scale tourism industry some little pensions, snacks and tour-guides have started, the mayor wants to sell the mining rights for the remaining phospate to an Australian company. Greed for short-term profits could lead to another ecocide. The population of just 70 people is divided and property owners who actually live in Tahiti will have a say as well. Let’s hope that beautiful, little Makatea won’t be destroyed once again.
2019
27
Oct
Makatea
After a night of lightwind sailing we rushed along nicely again and reached the raised atoll Makatea around noon. All moorings were taken, but a friendly Belgian boat let us tie up alongside.
2019
24
Oct
We can’t get away from Tahiti
After 3 months in Tahiti we are eager to head out towards the Tuamotus: I feel healthy again, we got Pitufa prepared, bought more provisioning than we can store, but somehow we don’t get away from Tahiti.
First the drain of the kitchen sink fell off (rusted through) and just when Christian had finished repairing it, he noticed that the fridge was acting strangely–the compressor wouldn’t start. We were horrified. Without refrigeration our stocked up fresh things would go bad and a repair project would keep us in Tahiti for a long time. A cruiser friend who happens to be a fridge expert suggested several trouble-shooting approaches and in the end the problem was easily solved: we only had to change the electronic unit (fortunately we had a spare one on board).
Now we’re really ready to go, but the predicted weather window for tomorrow is turning less and less attractive as it comes closer. Light winds, fickle winds–at the moment we still prepare to leave tomorrow, but we’ll see…
2019
15
Oct
Super-simple gluten-free bread a la Pitufa
When I started searching for recipes for gluten-free bread the results were disheartening. Too complicated, too many ingredients I wouldn’t be able to find in the South Pacific. Some recipes for tapioca-bread included eggs and massive amounts of oil (not very healthy…) and others claimed that I wouldn’t be able to produce non-crumbly bread without adding xanthan gum. My first experiments with tapioca and rice flour (the only available gluten-free flours in Tonga) turned out flat, crispy when warm, but rockhard when cold. As soon as we found buckwheat flour in a supermarket in the Cook Islands, making bread suddenly became easy. Here’s Pitufa’s super-simple recipe for gluten-free bread:
Mix the following dry ingredients in a bowl:
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tablespoon dried yeast
1 teaspoon of salt
some bread spices (coriander, caraway, etc.)
Tip: the bread rises much easier if you add a few tablespoons of gluten-free all-purpose flour! If you don’t find that or if you just want to lower your gluten intake, but are not allergic, you can also just add a little bit of wheat flour…
Add 1 cup of warm water and stir the mixture thoroughly. The dough should be rather liquid–almost like a pancake dough, so keep adding water until you have that consistency. Pour the mixture into a greased pan, you can put sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, etc. as a topping, let it rise for about 20 min. (in tropical heat, longer if it’s colder, but make sure you catch it while it’s still rising or it’ll collapse!), put on the stove and bake for 15 min on a medium flame with the lid closed, flip the bread and leave it another 15 min on medium heat with a gap between pan and lid.
Careful the bread is rather sensitive and collapses easily while rising, so handle with care! Also the flipping should be done gently and only when the surface is no longer liquid.
2019
15
Oct
Dengue Sequel
Each time I think I’m getting healthy and stronger again, I’m punched back down. Two weeks after what I thought was a dengue infection we were getting us and the boat ready to start hopping eastwards again.
Smack, I was down with high fever, severe backache, headache, nausea–the same symptoms as two weeks ago, just stronger.
Yesterday (day 4 with fever) the temperature got so high and I was so miserable that we went to the emergency doctor at Paofai Clinique. They did a blood test, got the results within an hour (Sunday afternoon!): positive for dengue and horrible liver values (typical for dengue). Apparently last time I had some other bug (even though it felt the same).
They put me on a drop, gave me a high dosage of potassium, did an ECG and sent me home as stabilised in the evening. I got sleep this night and feel already better today
Hopefully we’ll soon be able to get into passage mood again…
2019
03
Oct
Dengue fever
I got strong fever last week accompanied with a head ache and back ache–typical symptoms for dengue. As we’ve had it before I was worried (dengue can be extra dangerous when you get another type your immune system thinks it recognises). I got lucky though, the symptoms remained weak and I was fine after only a week.
Researching on the internet I found that there has been a dengue epidemic going on here since April(!) with more and more cases in Tahiti and the Socities, but also some in the Tuamotus and Marquesas.
So it’s a good idea to spray and avoid tiger stripe mosquitoes!
2019
29
Sep
Article in the OÖ Nachrichten
An Austrian newspaper published an article about ‘Sailing Yesterday and Today’ (the 500th anniversary of Magellan’s first circumnavigation) and we’re mentioned as modern bluewater sailors. Here’s the link.
2019
20
Sep
Whales!
We’ve been in Moorea now for two weeks, explored the island with a rental car (quite a luxury for us hitch-hikers) and were lucky with the weather. Moorea’s such a spectacular mountainous island with incredible views!
Leaving the pass of Opunohu Bay with Pitufa on the way to Cooks Bay we met a humpback whale mom with a baby. We let the boat drift and she approached us slowly! While Christian took pictures from the deck I hopped into the water and could watch the two swimming
2019
13
Sep
Holidays for my Mom
Our last piece of luggage arrived 6 days after the check-in, battered, but with everything still inside… We sailed over to Moorea on a beautiful beam reach and so far we’ve seen dolphins, turtles, stingrays, but still no whales (even though it’s the season when humpback whales visit this area).
We did a nice hike to a waterfall, but most of the time we spend on Pitufa with my Mom enjoying the warm, turquoise water.
2019
03
Sep
More bad luck
I took the boat to a calmer anchorage on Saturday, thought I was doing a nice single-handed manoeuvre, but then the little rollbar behind the windlass that keeps the chain under control while it rushes out broke and all 70 m of chain rattled out high speed. Fortunately I was far away from the reef, but still not happy and feeling quite ill on top. Shortly after the harbour masters boat came by to shy me away–apparently this anchorage is now off limits…
After some arguing they let me stay, then friends came by and helped with the windlass repair, so all fine again.
This morning Christian and my Mom finally arrived, tired after 50 hours of journey and without their 4 suitcases–the luggage had been lost somewhere along the way.
Now we’re anchored off the airport in nice turquoise water, watching planes coming and going. Hopefully one of them will bring the missing luggage soon
2019
31
Aug
Bad luck
After 3 weeks alone here in Taina, Christian and my Mom were scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning. Now I’ve just got an email that their flight from Vienna was cancelled, they were rebooked for the following day…
Here it’s grey and rainy after a 2 months of stable, sunny weather and a 3 m swell is forecast to arrive this evening. I’ve fallen victim to the constant air-conditioning-attack in Tahiti and feel feverish with a sore throat…
2019
18
Aug
Swell
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’ cauldron. At 3 in the morning Leeloo and I moved into our seaberth, now we’re still bouncing like a cork doing whitewater rafting.
I have to write this blog with one hand, because the cat insists that I stabilise and pet her with the other hand. Whenever I stop I get a taunting meeow. She obviously blames me for not turning off the stupid pitching, rolling and corkscrewing. I considered moving to a better anchorage, but doing single-handed manoeuvres in crowded anchorages is too much of a hassle and the swell is already supposed to go down in the evening.