First Officer Alexander Wichser

A very good friend Karl and his son Alexander visited over spring break weekend so we could fete them Bahamian style.
Watching the weather and tides, we decided to anchor out in two different locations: off Tiloo and Fishers' Bay near Guana Cay. This gave them a great sense of boating while exploring two quite different Cays.

While this was a vacation for them both it was also a working one. It began with some basic seamanship that included terms and jargon of what is where and why. For Alexander,  this meant a bit more in-depth understanding of how to work the lines and boat. He learned how to make a square knot, half hitch, and running hitch. Meant to add the bowline but lost track of time. The last rope skill was how to tie unused lines so they are easy to use when needed and how to stow. Smart kid! Showed him once and he had it down pat.

The next big effort was instruction in ship handling. Starting in the engine room we went over the various components and what they did. Then we moved to the fly bridge and went over the controls for maneuvering.  Next we reviewed how to pivot the boat using the engines and the thrusters. When we departed the dock Alexander helped with engine controls as well as the hydraulic bow and stern thrusters.

Once out of the marina basin he learned how to steer and use the auto pilot. All of the routes and previous tracks we have taken to date appear on all of the charts.

He learned how to lower and set the anchor and and secure the running gear.  He was excellent in anticipating what was needed and then accomplishing the task once understood with little to no supervision.

Alexander did a great job, so good in fact that on the the majority of the trip he manned the helm and is officially the "First Officer" of M/V Seabright.

While actively crewing meant some work time, there was certainly plenty of play time too.  Here we are at Tahiti Beach as the tide was coming in.

 We found plenty of interesting shells and a few small critters that kept us active and looking heads down.  Since the tide was coming in, there were a few areas that we could find some dry land to stand on. All in all we saw several eagle rays, dolphins and lots of fish. The eagle rays were in the shallows in clear water and were quite visible. The dolphins came over to the swim platform to check us out and gave us a great opportunity to see them. 

We anchored out all the time so our principal method of getting around was our dinghy. We could zoom around and we beached the boat at a nice local restaurant,  Grabbers at Fishers Bay where Alexander became the local ring toss game expert.
In other places we tied off at the dinghy dock, always using a stern anchor to keep the boat perpendicular to the dock.  Alexander was the bow line handler which helped immensely when climbing the ladder to get in and out of the dinghy.

Our last night we went to The Jib Room to enjoy the barbecue ribs and the fire limbo.

Now certainly everyone can do this at home......Alexander in rapt attention sitting next  to our good friend Bruce, off of  M/V True Colors.

A great way to end a wonderful time with Karl and Alexander, we truly enjoyed their company and it was wonderful to get to finally meet the future captain who was such a fantastic help during their visit!

This week we will participate in the annual Outer Reef  rendezvous through Sunday here at Marsh Harbour. Then after almost five months here in the Abacos we will depart for a 6-8 week cruise through the Exumas. We will buddy boat with Ray and Susan Cope aboard Copeing as well as potentially four others Outer Reefs.   Will have a captains meeting later this week to see who is interested and plan a bit of the cruising itinerary. It would be a lot of fun exploring some of the more out of the way cays with a really nice group of boaters. We anticipate a good deal of anchoring, using the dinghy to explore, a bit of snorkeling and for some scuba diving.