SailingKnitter

Yep! We finally got into CLUB NAUTICO which is a small, somewhat scruffy marina here in Cartegena. We had spent about two weeks at anchor in the harbor, and riding in the dinghy to the marina, while we waited for a slot to open up for us. Now, we are living the good life...cable TV, wifi internet, running water (most of the time) and electricity.

So, we are berthed right at the outside corner of a dogleg. This is a view of the planks we walk to get to the boat. It's a little rough out there so we gotta keep our eyes on our feet to make sure we don't fall down ('cause maybe we couldn't get up). The uneven surface is largely due to the planks that cross, and are tied to the dock, that are the boarding apparatus for other boats.

Ah...here's the Niki Wiki safely tied to...what? Oh, some lines are tied to the pier, and others are tied to "something heavy" on the bottom of the harbor! A diver came out to take our long lines down and tie them off. Now, because of the thunderstorms, high winds, and large chop from either winds or other vessels in the harbor we are a rocking and a rolling a lot of the time. So, we can't be tied up too close to this stationary pier/dock or we'll bang around and get damaged.

Okay. Now how do we get on and off the boat when it is 6 feet away? Well, there is a little narrow "finger" that sticks out on one side of us. But we are about 3 feet from that. What to do?

Well, we tied a line to a bollard (big pole) on the finger and then wrapped it around a winch. When we want to get off of the boat, we crank in the line which moves the boat sideways closer to the finger. Then, we climb up and over the lifelines, crab a couple of feet back to the stern, and stretch one foot down to a stair step on the finger.

So far neither of us has fallen in the water! But, this situation perhaps limits the adult beverage consumption ashore. When the tide is higher, Niki Wiki floats higher and our legs just barely can span between the boat and the dock. Who needs yoga? We get our stretching exercises daily just because we live on this boat!
NOTICE: Jonesy is wearing his "Handsome Devil" Socks designed and knit by me in these photos and I didn't even ask him to wear them!

We've been getting out and about, exploring the historic Spanish city of Cartegena. Here's Jonesy on top of the stone wall that was built to keep out the English pirates. The cannons are even still there.

This is a view of a typical street in the old "centro" area of Cartegena. This is a functioning city with people working and living in these buildings. During the day, when it is hot, there are just a few people strolling about. But at night - whew! - the crowds come out! We're trying to get ourselves acclimated to the timing of life here. Dinner is not served until 7pm at the earliest. Even the tiny food places and street vendors don't open until that - or later.

WORLDWIDE KNIT IN PUBLIC DAY was Saturday June 13th. To celebrate, I registered an "event" here in Columbia at the Club Nautico marina. So, here I am, knitting in public. Where are all the other knitters? Jonesy kept saying that the big tour bus full of knitters would be arriving any moment. I knew that he as kidding...there just aren't any other knitters. I be it for this party.

My project this day was another pair of wool (Cascade 220) mittens for the Akkol Orphanage in Kazakhstan. This time though I added a simple checked pattern to make the mittens warmer and to keep me awake.