it has been raining since yesterday late afternoon. Actually, it pours more than it rains most of the time. And it’s windy and quite gusty when it rains hard. JACE is tugging at her mooring ball.

The tropics are infamous for their occasional hard downpours. So before leaving home and my beloved sailmaker’s sewing machine, I made two rain covers for the main hatches above the master and the forward cabin. I am so glad I did. They have been getting nonstop use for the last week and have turned out to be a lifesaver. Why? Because it is still hot, even when it rains, and if you have to close all hatches, it gets really uncomfortable inside the boat. But thanks to these convenient covers you can leave the hatches open underneath and and ventilate the boat reasonably well. They work brilliantly!

Today it is so rainy that being outside is pretty much impossible until late afternoon. So I busy myself inside and take care of a couple of items on my to do list. The fridge, believe it or not, is still a problem. The new thermostat isn’t working. Also, I’ve decided to insulate the main cooling line to avoid the buildup of ice in the bilges. I get that done and am pleased with the outcome.

For lunch I enjoy freshly baked bread. I found a recipe for making bread in the pressure cooker, which is much more efficient than the oven, and works out well. Looks a bit sad but tastes great.

In the afternoon the rain finally dissipates and I get to go outside. With the heat gun Aaron lent me, I remove JACE’ old boat name decals. No, we are not changing the name! But we have to change the hailing port from Annapolis to San Francisco and brought our own new decals with a different font. Today I just remove the old; it is too wet to affix the new and I first have to polish the hull for which I need a dry day. So that will hopefully happen soon. For now JACE is a bit nameless.