More Rainbows

We heard on the cruisers' net yesterday morning that someone was looking for anyone else to play backgammon. I responded, and Melanie from S/V Luna came over at 1 p.m. I found out that she is a competitive player, and by that I mean that she has devoured books on the game and has competed in international tournaments! A bit daunted, I got out our board and we played, and I was pleasantly surprised that I did not get skunked in every game. Also, I noticed some stategies she used that I have not employed (for example, she takes more risks exposing pieces in the beginning of the game), so it was a great learning experience for me. As we played, we shared information about our lives and and careers, and I think we both enjoyed getting to know each other. 

Around 3, I easily lured Peter from the engine room with the offer of a cup of tea; he was working on putting all the extracted parts back in their places and bolting them down. Melanie is also British, so it was, of course, culturally appropriate. As they savored their hot beverages, Peter and I introduced Melanie to the card game Quiddler. She seems to be a fast learner and quite liked this word game. 

She returned to her boat after that game, and Peter returned to the engine room. I spent a bit of time preparing to help Katya study later in the day. Then, Peter and I launched the kayak and went for a paddle. We explored the spiky walls between Monument Beach and the channel into the hurricane holes near Chat 'n' Chill. The water was calm and super clear, so organisms such as sponges and gastropods that cling to the vertical walls as well as sea cucumbers and small reefs and grassy patches on the sandy bottom were clearly visible. 

Double cave in the wall

Coral and sea cucumbers

However,  clouds moved in quickly, and it started to sprinkle as we approached the Fruit Bowl so we turned back. The intensity of the precipitation steadily increased to a downpour as we reached Monument Beach, and we paddled fast and hard to the stern of Mantra. From the deck, we could see a rainbow from the port side and the approaching sunset from the starboard.

View from port side

View from the starboard side at the same time

We jumped in the salt water and then took showers before I cut Peter's hair on the transom; it was curling up under the brim of his Aussie hat. Then we had to rinse off again because I am not a professional and we do not own a cape.

After the sunset

Katya and I spent an hour or so reviewing for her lecture and lab tests today; I think she is prepared.

This morning there were sunny skies over Stocking Island and dark clouds piled up over Great Exuma. We were not deterred from attending the water aerobics class, which is good exercise and a lot of fun. We could hear thunder in the distance, to the west, but there was no precipitation until just before class ended, when scattered, light drops began to tap the surface of the water. 

Peter requested the loan of a scissors jack this morning on the net and picked one up before aerobics from a nearby boat. After class, he was back in the engine room, this time to move and secure the generator. Moving it with the borrowed jack was easy. Finding the right size bolts was more of a challenge. In fact, among the thousands of spare parts and pieces of hardware on board, there were none that met the specs. However, Peter, clever as he is, was able to figure out a way to do some drilling and use bolts that we had so he did not have to dinghy across the harbor during intermittent rain showers to visit the hardware store. 

I brought the blue seats down below for patching. I had to clean the ripped areas of cloth first, so now I am waiting for them to dry. I put one patch on, thinking the area was ready, but it still retained moisture. I think the patch will be fine, but I am waiting for the other three corners to be totally dry before continuing. Peter just finished some work in the engine room and has left to return the jack, so I am going to seize this opportunity to lower the engine room hatch and clean the inside of the windows in the pilot house while he is gone. We have invited a couple other boaters over for drinks at 6 p.m.