Monument Beach

We continue to be anchored off Monument Beach. On Friday, April 7, Peter was in the engine room for hours and hours. After removing the workbench and other large pieces from the pit, he had access to the starboard fuel tank. The fortunate thing about the unfortunate collision with underwater granite in Maine last summer was that it revealed weaknesses in design, work and materials in various parts of the boat, particularly the engine room. This created more work for Peter but his attitude is that it is good to know about the issues and fix them before they totally fail. One of the weaknesses is the mounting of the generator. The two aft screws--which should never have been used instead of bolts--sheared on collision. Fixing this problem is being postponed until we are back in the States, but Peter is moving ahead with improving the strapping method for the fuel tanks.

When we hit granite, one of the two inadequate steel straps on the starboard tank had snapped at a place where it was under undo stress. In inspecting it, Peter realized that the wrong grade and thickness of steel had been used, so there was rust and corrosion, and it may not have withstood a knockdown. After removing the aft starboard strap, Peter was struggling to thread Dyneema inside a thin tube through the ridiculously small spaces under and around the large, bulky diesel fuel tank when it became stuck at one point and he could neither push it through nor take it back out. Frustrated, he puzzled for a long time on the problem, which was unresolved when he finally emerged for the last time that day well after 9 p.m.

Corroded steel strap

Since he had access to the steering cables, he took time to clean and lubricate the chain. I helped by turning the wheel. I also helped to remove large objects from the engine room. What would he do without me?

I need to patch the corners on the blue seats with patching tape Lori brought to me, but Friday was not a good day to do that because the wind was blowing at about 15 knots and I wanted to be in the shelter of the pilot house for the job. This was impossible because seat cushions were stacked there, the engine hatch was open and parts of the engine room as well a tools were everywhere. So, after a bit of cleaning, I decided to do some beading and create bracelets. I had just completed one and was starting on another when a string of beads accidently slipped from my hand and very small blue glass beads scuttled in all directions across the floor boards. Peter (who happened to be out of the engine room then) and I hurried to pick them up before any rolled through the joints or the holes for bilge pump handles. We agreed that beading on board is probably not a good idea, so I put my supplies away and moved on to a new piece of embroidery.

On Saturday morning (April 8), after listening to the cruisers' net at 8 and going to the water aerobics class at 9:30, we got back to work. Peter dinghied to a hardware in George Town for a few items while I began laundry duties. I had postponed this for a day to wait for lighter winds. The sunshine and winds under 10 knots were perfect for drying clothes. The last of the five loads were on the lifelines late in the afternoon when someone in the harbor alerted everyone to a beautiful rainbow in the southeast. As we admired it, we could see the rain moving toward us and feel the subtle change in the air quality before the precipitation poured from the clouds. We scurried to get in laundry, but some large towels and a queen size flat sheet were totally soaked before they could be retrieved, so they were left to get another rinse and then hang overnight to wait for the morning sunshine. Meanwhile, we moved tools and other items into the shelter of the pilot house and Peter closed up the engine room.

Afternoon rainbow

After the rain

Sunset

While Peter's brain worked hard on the challenge of the fuel tank strap, I learned more than I ever need to know about laboratory procedures and testing blood and urine for pathogens as I helped Katya study for a big exam on Tuesday. I spent hours reviewing the study guide and researching and typing up answers to each question so that she and I could discuss the subjects thoroughly. She uses her notes and the flash cards she has been making. However, just reading and writing is not enough for her to master content, and she benefits from discussing everything with me. (I have prodded her to find or create a study group to no avail.) Actually, I absolutely love learning anything new (Well, maybe not some of the stuff Peter knows about engineering; I still have no clear understanding of what the inverter actually does, for instance.), so I do not mind helping her. 

Throughout the day, Peter continued to puzzle about and study the fuel tank strapping dilemma. He pulled out one of Steve Dashew's books but found no help there. He took his little camera on the end of a flexible cable and maneuvered it in to get a better look at the place where the Dyneema was jammed. This gave him a better understanding of the situation but did not reveal a solution. A solution had to be found, and I had great faith in his ability to discover it (Moral support is another job I have.), but the day ended with the Dyneema still in the same immovable position. Around 10 p.m., he rested. 

On the morning of Sunday, April 9, Peter finally succeeded in getting the Dyneema encased in tubing all the way around the tank! I knew he could do it. He will wait to replace the other three fuel tank straps until we are in the States and he can acquire Dyneema with a slightly smaller diameter. At least the other three straps are not as difficult to access.

I spent a few hours helping Katya study clinical laboratory techniques. I responded to a call for canned black beans from a fellow boater who was nearby; he was preparing a pasta dish for the afternoon potluck dinner on Flip Flop Beach. (It was delicious!) I made a couscous salad with fruit, almonds, pine nuts and spices for the event. 

Flip Flop Beach with zip line into the water

Peter at Easter potluck dinner

Brief showers punctuated an otherwise sunny day. The gathering on the beach provided a great array of wonderful food, and it was pleasant to savor something other than the dishes I usually make for us. We enjoyed talking with other boaters. The group only had to shelter twice from the rain, either under the old mainsail used for a roof over the tables or among the casuarina trees, although some people chose just to go in the salty water since they were getting wet anyway. Just south of us on the beach was a large crowd of Bahamians who had ferried over two enormous speakers from Great Exuma, so the upbeat music was loud even from a distance. Honestly, I don't know how the ears of those close by withstood the decibal levels. 

After eating and socializing and waiting out the rain, Peter and I walked across Stocking Island to the Exuma Sound side, where there is a large tide pool nestled among rocks between two shell-strewn beaches. The sand on the Atlantic side of the island is much different than the white, sifted flour consistency, arogonitic kind on the sheltered side. The grains are much larger and irregular by comparison, made from eroded shells and coral, mixing the tans, ochres, pinks, reds, blacks and whites of their origins to create an overall warm color which contrasts with the blue tones of the sea and sky and the yellow and greens of the dune grass, trees and other vegetation above the beach. A few other people were there, but we were the last to leave, which we did after collecting some shells along the water's edge. On our walk, we were fortunate to hear and see the lovely bananaquit, with its lemon-color breast.

Tide pool on Great Exuma Sound

Sherri in the tide pool

When we returned to Mantra, I spent another couple hours studying with Katya, and Peter made the eye in the Dyneema, completed the strapping job and cleaned up the engine room. We skipped dinner because we ate so much food at the potluck event.

Just another gorgeous sunset

This morning there was another lovely rainbow and then a brief, light shower. It is partly cloudy, but when the sun comes through, it is too hot on the skin and I seek shelter. The wind is negible, and unless someone goes by in a dinghy or talks on the radio, it is very quiet. On deck, Peter is cleaning the boxes and workbench that need to go back in the engine room, and I am down below once again catching up with posting. It's Easter Monday and an official holiday in the Bahamas, so most businesses are closed. Tomorrow, we must go to town for groceries. We are down to three eggs!

Morning rainbow of Great Exuma