Chapter 816 - 366: Anchoring at Rose Island

Chapter 816: Chapter 366: Anchoring at Rose Island

The crisp calls of seabirds, together with the melodious chimes from the Queen’s Staircase Church, jointly awakened the Nassau morning.

After a night of restful sleep, gently rocked by the waves, the fatigue from the previous day’s sailing was completely washed away.

Lin Yu’an opened his eyes and looked out through the small porthole, seeing the morning light over the dock, turning the calm harbor into a warm, pale golden hue.

When Lin Yu’an stepped out of the cabin, he was immediately surrounded by a fresh ocean scent and the rich aroma of coffee.

Captain Mike was already up, like a hardworking old farmer, barefoot, wearing only beach shorts, carefully hosing down the salt crystals accumulated on the boat’s hull and rigging during the night sail.

"Good morning, Mike," Lin Yu’an handed over a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

"Morning." Mike took the coffee, gulping a big sip, then pointed towards the kitchen with his chin, a resigned yet indulgent smile spreading across his face.

"Riven’s showcasing her skills in there; she said last night’s dinner stole the show, so today’s breakfast must defend the Montgomery family kitchen’s honor."

"She even warned us that today’s energy consumption will be huge, and we need to eat everything she’s made."

Lin Yu’an laughed at this and walked into the kitchen, seeing Riven humming a cheerful rock song, wearing a cute apron, frying bacon and eggs in the skillet.

Although her movements lacked the methodical precision of Lin Yu’an’s, they carried a kind of casual proficiency.

Sunlight poured in from the skylight above the boat, giving her shoulder-length short hair a layer of golden halo; at this moment, she seemed more like a neighborhood girl enjoying a holiday, preparing breakfast for her family.

"Good morning, Captain," she heard the footsteps, turned around with a smile, and playfully shook the spatula in her hand.

"Need any help?" Lin Yu’an leaned against the door, arms crossed over his chest, "I’m worried our chef might mistake salt for sugar."

"Hey!" Riven feigned anger, giving him a glare.

Soon, a hearty breakfast of perfectly fried sunny-side-up eggs, crispy bacon, buttered toast, and fresh fruits bought by Lin Yu’an yesterday was laid out on the teak table on the aft deck.

The three of them enjoyed this rare quiet time in the radiant morning light and refreshing sea breeze.

On the dock, other boat owners were also stepping out of their cabins, greeting each other loudly across the few-meter-wide waterway, exchanging views on today’s weather.

"Nice weather," Mike looked at the weather map on his phone, "10 knots of wind, southeast breeze, no clouds. A good day for diving."

After breakfast, Mike volunteered to wash the dishes, while Lin Yu’an and Riven held a pre-sailing briefing beside the table.

Riven opened the iPad, brought up the chart, officially entering the captain’s role, "Today’s agenda is simple: as planned, our main task is—diving lessons."

She zoomed in on the chart; the specially marked sea area appeared in a captivating pale green, like a translucent emerald on the screen.

"The target location is this shoal on the north side of Rose Island. We’ll set sail at nine thirty in the morning with an expected one-hour voyage."

"I’ve evaluated the seabed topography, depth, and current conditions here," she brought up a hydrological map.

"Sandy seabed, average depth of 4 meters, surrounded by coral reefs on three sides as natural barriers, effectively blocking the swells from the open sea—it’s the perfect place for training in calm water techniques."

"We’ll stay there for about three to four hours to complete the first unit of the OW course."

"What about the afternoon?" Lin Yu’an turned his eyes to Riven, inquiring.

"If you are lucky enough to pass coach Riven’s assessment, I’ll take you here for open water wreck exploration," Riven tapped the shipwreck marker with her finger, a confident and mildly challenging expression on her face.

"Of course, the premise is that you, our overnight book-only genius student, can truly transform theory into muscle memory, successfully passing all the skill assessments of the morning."

"Otherwise..." she elongated the tone, "the afternoon plan will be changed to watching coach Riven explore the wreck alone on the boat."

"It’s a deal," Lin Yu’an accepted the challenge without hesitation.

[Bahamas Time, the third day of sailing, 10:45 AM]

After nearly an hour of relaxed sailing, Rose Island, which appeared as a green crescent moon on the chart, had clearly emerged ahead at the bow of Polaris.

Lin Yu’an turned off the autopilot, took the helm, and began to decelerate.

Riven proceeded to the bow, opened the anchor locker located beneath the deck, preparing to carry out the anchoring task.

"Alright, Captain," her voice transmitted clearly from the bow’s intercom, echoing in the cockpit.

"Before becoming a ’fish,’ let’s first complete the last task as a sailor—anchoring, which is also a small captain’s test for you."

Lin Yu’an smiled; he knew this was part of the training.

"Please go ahead, Coach Riven."

"Do you see that patch of the shallowest sand?" Riven pointed to a circular area reflecting creamy white in the sunlight.

"That’s our ’parking lot’ for today; our goal is to stop the boat right in the center and ensure our anchor is firmly set in the sand, not caught on the nearby coral."