Dee Pigneguy has since her early years had a close association with the sea. Dee’s parents were fishermen on the rugged coast of British Columbia and as a baby in a cot she was often living aboard the vessel “Chieftain”. Growing up on a boat along a wild rocky shoreline meant that Dee came to appreciate the sea at an early age.

Teaching brought Dee to New Zealand in 1964. Here she met and married her husband Mike in 1965. Along with their busy boating life, Dee was teaching until in 1984 when a full time commitment was required with their Adventure Cruising Company Ltd. and the historic vessel (1909) “Te Aroha”. Until 1999, the “Te Aroha” was a familiar sight along the coast from Tauranga to Whangaraoa. The rare and endangered species cruises run by Dee and Mike in the Hauraki Gulf attracted conservationists and bird-watchers from all over the world.

Today when Dee is not writing books or articles for magazines she can be found in her garden. Her organic gardening classes teach parents how to create a child friendly backyard garden with an abundance of fresh organically grown fruits and vegetables. She believes that organic gardening is probably the single most effective action you can personally take to help our planet.

She also finds time for Cooking Classes organized in tandem with her daughter Tamarin, based on their book Feed Me Right. Their courses present the basic principles of wholefood cooking, introducing the foods needed for a wholesome diet while exploring the links between an improper diet and common diseases.

PUBLISHED BOOKS

Dee’s first book SALTWATER IN HER HAIR Stories of Women in the New Zealand Maritime Industry was published in 2001 by VIP Publications Ltd, Auckland. Saltwater In Her Hair captures the personal stories of women who have chosen sea-going careers. It celebrates women’s lives while dealing with the obstacles and hurdles that must be overcome if women want to live fulfilling lives.

The contribution of these women as role models for thousands of young New Zealanders, both male and female, has been immense.

Saltwater In Her Hair is an insight into dealing with harassment, developing relationships, maintaining marriages and caring for children while continuing to work in their chosen sea going careers.

Saltwater In Her Hair is a well illustrated, fascinating and informative book which will have universal appeal to readers, especially those who go down to the sea in ships ” Captain Jim Varney.
 

BOATING FUN co-written with Mike was published in November 2004 by Reed Publishing. Boating Fun combines fun, crafts and activities with science experiments and conservation. It is full of illustrations and information about the techniques of boating.
Although it has been written for children it is perfect for beginners, with explanations on equipment handling, rules, safety, basic navigation and the weather. There is an emphasis on developing competence to have fun afloat. This book will help children learn and enjoy being on the water while improving sailing skills and boating knowledge.

Boating Fun was chosen as one of the ten most notable non-fiction books for 2005 by Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust of New Zealand.
 

FEED ME RIGHT After 4 years of research and writing, Dee and her daughter Tamarin launched Feed Me Right in April 2007. Published by Papawai Press. Feed Me Right was launched at Takapuna Library by 102 year old Zella Roberts, at Dymocks Books in Wellington by Sue Kedgley and at Whangaparaoa Library by Zella Roberts and Damain Kristof N.D.

Feed Me Right by Dee Pigneguy and Tamarin Pigneguy
Nutritional Know - How and Body Science
Review by Helen Adams in Healthy Options. August 2007
Produced by Urban Remedy Limited and Published by Papawai Press
ISBN 978-0-9582806-2-4 NZ RRP $29.90

"This is another of those great books aimed at the younger generation. It's presentation is fun and funky which will definitely appeal to its target audience. This is a clever mix of cool and entertaining illustrations and serious information. It teaches the all-important messages of the link between the food we eat and the health of our bodies. We are stepped through the different food types, what they are needed for and what our body does with them.  This book would make an excellent classroom resource. ”

Feed Me Right has been a runaway success with 2000 books sold in the first 4 months.
 

BOATING FOR ALL —by Mike and Dee Pigneguy
Navigation, Boat-handling and Skill-building Activities published by Reed Publications 2007.

After a lifetime of boating, Mike and Dee Pigneguy had noticed that many boaties, because of the proliferation of  marine electronics, bow thrusters, and the many other devices designed to make boating easier, have neglected to learn some of the real basics of boating. Knowing these basics not only can make boating more enjoyable, but also safer, as electronic labour saving devices have been known not to work!

Their Boating Fun, published in 2004, was written for 8 - 14 yr olds to gain an insight into the basics of boating. 

Boating For All is written for teenagers of all ages, is a follow on from Boating Fun, and takes the reader through easily understood chapters on chartwork, coastal navigation, how to find your position (not knowing either your variation or compass deviation), trimming your sails, picking up a MOB either under sail or power, and  boating handling. Ever wondered why and how clouds form, why sea and land breezes blow, how fog forms, and what did Captain Robert Fitzroy have to do with weather forecasting? It's all in the chapter on Weather.

Find out too the reasons for the comings and goings of the tides, how to anchor your boat safely, and what side to pass various buoys and beacons on.

There are many activities designed for all on board to participate in, not only are they fun, but they will also increase everyones awareness and skill levels. These activities range from 'boxing' a buoy under power, anchoring your dinghy and bringing your boat back alongside it, charting a bay using a leadline and transit points, and many more.  

There is a chapter on signalling, so if you don't want younger crew members talking to their mates a nearby yacht on the VHF, they can learn the morse code and use a torch, or make some semaphore flags and wave their arms using the semaphore alphabet.

For younger crew members there is a chapter on how to keep a travel journal using a tape recorder, and even how to make a movie of various aspects of their voyage using a vidoe camera. If they tire of that there are some easy recipes for healthy drinks and snacks to keep scurvy and hunger away.

This is a book that covers topics everyone who goes boating should know. Each chapter is easily understood with clear and simple diagrams.

It's a fun read that will give lifetime boating skills to both the young and beginning sailors of any age.

Two New Books Featuring Everyday Science:

GARDENING FOR PLANET EARTH
If we were to focus on growing food in family backyards, we could shape a new world." Gardening is all about learning, experimenting, changing things, adapting, being observant and open to new ideas. Let the amazing photographs in this book help you to learn how to create your own garden paradise.

Gardening for Planet Earth will help you discover:

• How organic gardens depend on nature's cycles for everything from making soil and fixing nitrogen to growing nutrient dense food.
• How plants sustain life on earth based on the sun's renewable energy.
• The role insects play in the predator-prey cycle.
• The fun and excitement of growing your own fruit, flowers, herbs and vegetables.
• How organic gardening can slow climate change.

Dee & Mike Pigneguy

Tamarin, Zella & Dee at the book launch of Feed Me Right

Tamarin & Dee Pigneguy Whangaparaoa Library

Sue Kedgley launching
Feed Me Right, Wellington