Alibi Blog entered by Jim Fagan

I still like the name of this blog – My Alibi

This is my 2nd annual Alibi for spring break!

I had a great time last year on Alibi in the Bahamas. At the end of last year’s trip I joked with Darrell and Ann and told them that I would be back. I was very excited this year when I was invited to spend my spring break with them again on Alibi in the Exumas.

I emailed with Darrell and Ann to discuss possible arrival and departure dates as well as a meeting place with them. We researched a couple of different places. Georgetown, Exuma was the best place to meet. Georgetown is great because there are direct flights there from Miami and it is very easy to get a taxi from the airport to the town dock at Exuma Market. I arrived in Georgetown on March 17.

I enjoyed looking out the window on the short flight from Miami to Exuma. I was impressed by the visibility in the water below – I could see the bottom. On Alibi -- I told Darrell and Ann about being able to see the bottom of the ocean from the plane high above. Darrell explained to me that the water on the Great Bahama Bank is shallow averaging about 15 feet. He told me about sailing across the bank.

The airport at Exuma is very small. There is just one short runway and no taxi ways. The plane parks on a tarmac outside the terminal. I was excited to be there. I was one of the first passengers to clear customs (I actually walked around some people on the tarmac to be near the front of the line). I got in a taxi and met Darrell, Ann and Roxy at Exuma Market.

Their dinghy was docked at a dock behind Exuma Market. Ann mentioned that the dinghy bow thruster had not sounded the same since my departure last year. I made some adjustments to the bow thruster and we got under weigh. (A bow thruster is handy on a dinghy when in tight docking situations or departing the starboard side of Alibi with wind!) We took a dinghy ride across Elizabeth Harbor to the anchorage near Chat ‘N’ Chill where Alibi was anchored. We had an excellent dinner which included fresh mahi cooked on the grill with veggie pouches. We had great dinner conversation catching up and telling a few jokes. I also got a full boat briefing which included a refresher on the location and operation of the safety equipment on the boat.

In the morning we had coffee while listening to the morning weather report and the “cruisers net”. The cruisers net is broadcast via the VHF marine radio every morning. The cruisers net includes local information as well as opportunities for cruisers to share information with each other. I enjoyed listening to the cruisers net each morning.

After breakfast, Ann took Roxy to the beach. Roxy loves her beach time and dinghy rides. While the girls were gone, Darrell and I put on our “Geek Squad” uniforms! I brought some audio cables to help them complete a project on the boat (There are not any Radio Shacks or Best Buys in the Southern Bahamas). They were in the process of connecting the XM satellite receiver on their Garmin Chartplotter and Radar to the stereo system on the boat. Darrell and I connected the cables at one end in the engine room and ran the other end up and behind the nav station and radio console. We soldered the connectors to the ends of the cables and YES it worked! Darrell listened to the NASCAR race via satellite radio.

The next day we took the dinghy to monument beach on Stocking Island and went for a hike. There is a monument at the top of one of the hill. Roxy led the way! She made the hills and trails look very easy to hike. The view at the top was amazing looking out at Great Exuma Island, sailboats and turquoise water. Check out Ann’s current profile pic on facebook. On the way day down we met a couple on the beach who had been camping in a tent. They were off of a boat named “Lord Byron’s Revenge”.

We got on the dinghy and visited a boat named “Sea Dog”. The boat is owned by James and Allison from England. It was fun talking with them and listening to their accents. Allison mentioned that I must be a guest who had recently arrived because I did not have a tan. They invited us to play volleyball at volleyball beach later in the afternoon. There are cruisers volleyball games every afternoon. Everyone is invited. It was fun to watch the games and teams, which consisted of people from several different countries and skill levels. Skill level did not matter in these games – anyone can play. A few puppies even got in on a few plays. Roxy was a great spectator. Although I think she was paying more attention to the beach!

That night we went to a “Rake and Scrape” in Georgetown at Eddies Edgewater Restaurant. A “Rake and Scrape” is a local Bahamian music party. The instruments included a brake disc with a metal bar, a hand saw and a metal bar, a bass guitar and a wash tub. It was fun to hear the local reggae music and see the locals along with the cruisers. We ran into the couple we met on the beach (they remembered Roxy more than us) and the rest of the crew of “Lord Byron’s Revenge”. It was fun hearing about their boat and cruising adventures.

The next morning after breakfast we went out snorkeling to explore so me reefs! Darrell found some cool spots on the chart. The reefs there are close to the shore unlike the reefs in the keys that are offshore. We almost looked like a Navy Seal Team (well not really) cruising in the dinghy in our wetsuits. We went to a shallow reef that was behind a rock formation rising out of the water. There was an awesome water feature on the rocks. Water from the waves on the windward side cascaded down on the lee side. We had fun verbally describing the rock formation and deciding what it looked like. We had some great comparisons. The reef was beautiful. The visibility was also great. I was very impressed by the variety of fish. Darrell and I saw one fish that we used a fish book to identify. It was an ocean trigger fish. I enjoyed watching it swim around the reef. Darrell also got a conch! We checked out a few other spots. Darrell and I demonstrated mastery of water entry and exits from the dinghy. Too bad there is not a certification for “Exumas Dinghy Snorkeler / Explorer”! If you ever have the opportunity--ask Darrell to teach you how to do a roll back entry off of the dinghy.

Ann made conch ceviche when we got back to Alibi -- it was very good. We took Roxy to the beach after lunch. Roxy always enjoys playing at the beach! That night was card night at St. Francis Resort. They have a Texas Hold’em Tournament every Tuesday. The tournament is limited to the first 50 to sign up. It sells out quickly every week. We met some other cruisers there.

On Wednesday morning, Darrell and I took the dinghy to Georgetown. We got one of the propane tanks filled and fueled the dinghy. Propane is available at scheduled times. There was a line for propane. While Darrell was in line with the other cruisers, I went to the open air market to pick up a few trip souvenirs. That afternoon we took Roxy to the beach and Darrell played cruisers volleyball. For dinner, we had fresh mahi from the grill. It was also my first time trying lionfish. It was good. The sky was very clear that evening. I enjoyed laying on the deck looking up at the stars. There is very little artificial light in the anchorage, which allows for great star gazing. I actually fell asleep outside.

The next morning on Thursday, we pulled up anchor and motored Alibi across Elizabeth Harbor to Kidd’s Cove near Exuma Market. This was my drop off point for the taxi to the airport. I helped Darrell with filling the water tanks for the boat. I had arranged with a few other cruisers for a taxi share to the airport via the cruisers net. I met the taxi share at Exuma Market and went to the airport. Last year I was bumped off the flight and went back to Alibi. That did not happen this time so I boarded the flight to Miami. I was sad to be leaving.

My trip to the Exumas and time on Alibi was awesome. The trip was very relaxing and we had lots of fun. Some of the trip highlights include: visiting with great friends, excellent meals, drinking coffee in the morning, taking Roxy to the beach, helping with a project on the boat and exploring the islands.

Thank you Darrell, Ann and Roxy for an incredible week on Alibi. It is greatly appreciated!