We have now been in Cartagena just over a week and have enjoyed being here so far. The marina is small enough to walk around easily and the staff have all been very helpful and pleasant. The facilities are fine and the free wifi is actually one of the best signals we have had this year, it’s possible to Skype during the day when there are fewer people using it, email and the odd video work well on the boat. We are near the town and three good supermarkets are within 15 minutes walk. We have also found reasonable chandlery supplies in easy walking distance.
Our time has been spent working on Splice and starting the process of putting her to bed for the winter. We have cleaned the outside of the boat of all the mud splattered as we moored up, taken off the two fore-sails and folded them, fixed a number of small items that were broken and started the discussions with tradesmen to do needed work. This year it’s - service the life-raft, wash and store the sails, mend or replace the bimini top which has given up after years in the sun and rain, fix our auto-helm and mend the water-maker that has been on the blink all this season. There are also the two engines to service and the generator. Chris has chased down the bits needed to service the outboard so another learning curve coming there as it will be the first time we have done that ourselves!
We have had to play with the mooring lines a couple of times as getting the right tension on the front ‘lazy lines’ so that the boat doesn’t go too far back in northerly winds but still being near enough to the pontoon at the stern that we can get off is proving interesting – still a work in progress as we will slacken off the stern to move her further from the pontoon whilst we are away.
Everyone here has been very sociable. We have had a couple of pleasant evening s with Tom and Anne from Alba Voyager who are moored opposite us, had coffee with Roger and Heather on Free Spirit who introduced themselves as we have other friends in common, a few drinks on board with Sarah and Tony from Ione and tea with Jane and Phil who have just bought another cat locally called Barracuda III. The marina is quietening down for the end of the season but there will be people around all winter which will be good as we plan to visit at least once to do some more work from the long list of ‘things we should get done’
Chris also made a new acquisition of a ‘MIniB’ Scuba set. We met Tony who was in the process of selling his boat and he was planning to sell his kit. Chris has been considering a scuba set for a while so a deal was done and Chris tested the new purchase by changing the anodes under the boat. The MiniB is like a rucksack with the cylinder and regulators inside and is only suitable for shallower dives down to 9 metres but this will be fine for all the boat needs we might have.
Today we went for the second time by bus to the big shopping park on the outskirts of the town. Previously we went in the afternoon and the bike shops there were closed until 5pm so, whilst it wasn’t a wasted trip before as we got some of the target items elsewhere, we needed to return. Again, we have been considering carrying bikes on board for a while. They make touring around and shopping much easier but are awkward (even folding ones) to store and good ones are very expensive. We did find a make today that was a reasonable balance between quality and price so we will wait until they send us a final quote to see if it’s worth the expense. ‘Tern’ is actually a British make and we liked the robust construction and ease of riding.. .we shall see.
Despite Cartagena being full of history we haven’t had much time to play tourist so far. We’ve bought a multi ticket that gives us access to 5 of the museums and have spent a few hours in the museum of the Roman Amphitheatre. In the 1990’s when some buildings were demolished they found the remains of this Amphitheatre right in the middle of the current town. It has now been mostly cleared and there is a fascinating museum leading you through to the point where you emerge into the actual amphitheatre itself. The structure is very clear and even some of the pillars around the stage area have been put back. With the Roman history novels Chris has read he could imagine the toga clad citizens thronging the seating. It’s big, holding 7000 people and although only partly rebuilt, the acoustics are very good. People were talking on the stage when we were at the top (in the ‘Gods’) and we could hear them. Very impressive and we are looking forward to getting to see some of the other exhibits.
We have been eating on board all week as the days have been so busy we didn’t fancy going out afterwards . Whilst clearing out the cupboards to remove any stores that will go out of date over winter Carolyn found walnuts and raisins that were near (well, probably past actually) their ‘use-by’ time. She always says she doesn’t do cakes well but a very nice sponge with walnuts and raisin emerged from the oven. It was so big – made in a baking tray- we have been passing slices around the other boats and it’s still going five days later!- very light and tasty though.
It’s Saturday so tonight we will treat ourselves and wander around the town to find a meal out, there seems to lots of alternatives here, we’ve even been recommended the best Indian restaurant that someone has ever found!

The shot is of the Roman Amphitheatre in the middle of Cartagena