SailingKnitter

We've survived the 35-hour bash coming up the coast here to Santiago! Sure was rough and wet, enough bouncing up and down that screws came undone out of one of the ceiling fixtures. During the day we saw whales, dolphins, 2 kinds of sea turtles, and flying fish. At night, the sky was filled with stars. I took the night watch as usual, and knit up a sock. Give me a pot of coffee and some nice wool yarn and I'm a happy camper sailor!

TWO more pairs of Socks for Soldiers are complete - these socks have toured a lot of Mexico with me in my purse. The yarns used are Regia for the brick colored pair and Twister 4-Color for the multi-colored pair. My stepdad picked these yarns up for me in Germany. I now have 4 pairs of soldier leisure socks and a beanie waiting to be mailed to "Sarge" our fearless leader of the group who then sends them to US Service personnel overseas. That will have to wait until I get back to the states.

Here's the current project - another pair of socks (go figure) started with another colorway of the Twister 4-Color. Strange how it's not just the colors that are different, but the way the stripes result. The yarn also felt different with the pink socks being much softer.

Also on the knitting needles these past few days is Joney's Land and Sea Gansey sweater and it's almost done! I only have to sew in one more sleeve and do the neck ribbing. This has been a really fun knit in Cottage Craft wool.


We're just hanging out here in the Santiago Bay anchored off of Playa La Boquita. To one side of us is a natural jungle area with a rocky beach and to the other side is a popular resort beach. As we get more into the dry season the hills are starting to turn brownish gray.

To get to town, we ride our dinghy into the opening to the estuary, watch the surf behind us, then zoom into the narrow channel. We follow the channel, go under the walking bridge for an exclusive resort, then turn towards the beach.

Here we drop the dinghy wheels down into the water then drive up onto the beach. Get out. Drag dinghy up above the high tide line. This beach on the estuary river is quiet now, especially mid-week, but it will be PACKED with Mexican vacationers during the weeks before and after Easter Sunday.


Next we dump our trash in the dumpster, and walk about 1 1/2 miles along the beach in front of the little palapa restaurants, then past resorts and private homes mansions. Finally we climb up the stairs to the road. Get on Bus. Ride to town of Santiago - or into Manzanillo if we want to shop at a supermarket.


The walk along the beach is great - flat hardpacked sand and gentle waves. It's a good chance to get some exercise and be able to walk at a brisk pace. Around the towns in Mexico here we have to slow down and watch our feet because the streets and sidewalks are in such disrepair and/or have dangerous holes or bizarre obstacles.

Hmmmm...even on the beach! We encountered this pack of horses on the beach.


Today we just stayed on the boat. Jonesy worked in the bilge replacing a faulty bilge pump switch. I knit (what? what did you expect?).



There are about 22 boats in the anchorage now. We saw a wonderful display of humpback whales breaching up out of the water yesterday! What a show they put on for us!

This evening, we ate our dinner of grilled whole chicken, rice & tortillas that we bought yesterday on the way home for Manzanillo when the bus driver stopped to buy some. You won't see that in the states - a bus driver stopping along the road to buy chicken from a street vendor! Afterwards, dinghy'd over to the sailing vessel Coastal Passage for a game of Mexican Train Dominoes. Here we all are along with the folks from the sailing vessel Synchrony and South Wind.

Aren't we a good-looking group of cruisers?