Blue Ocean Club
Blue Ocean Club cruising guide

Yacht charter in the Bahamas

Cruising the Bahamas on a crewed yacht offers access to extensive shallow banks, coral reefs, and isolated cays across archipelagos such as the Exumas and Abacos. Shallow-draft catamarans and motor yachts navigate clear waters between uninhabited islands and low-lying settlements. The cruising ground suits families, snorkellers, and divers seeking water-based activities, remote anchorages, and coastal wildlife encounters, with itineraries easily tailored between quiet island chains and full-service marinas.

Best time to charter

The primary charter season runs from mid-December through April, marked by prevailing easterly trade winds of 10 to 20 knots and dry conditions. Occasional winter cold fronts bring stronger northwesterly winds. May is warm and calm. The Atlantic hurricane season officially spans 1 June to 30 November, bringing higher humidity, increased rainfall, and lower charter traffic, though summer conditions can offer settled seas outside of tropical systems.

Anchorages and harbours to know

Shroud Cay

Located within the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, this uninhabited mangrove island offers tidal creeks navigable by tender and sheltered anchorage on its western side.

Staniel Cay

A central Exuma hub providing protected mooring options, direct access to Thunderball Grotto, and close proximity to Big Major Cay.

Warderick Wells Cay

The headquarters of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park features a protected mooring field within a natural deep-water channel and marked hiking trails.

Highbourne Cay

Situated at the northern gateway to the Exumas, it provides sheltered anchorage on its leeward side and an established marina for fuel and water.

Hope Town, Elbow Cay

A well-protected harbour in the Abacos with mooring buoys, settled anchorage outside the entrance, and access to the historic lighthouse.

Practical tips

  • Getting there: Nassau (NAS); Exuma (GGT) and private airstrips in the Out Islands. Nassau's marinas are about 20–30 minutes from Lynden Pindling International; regional and private flights reach the Exumas.
  • Charter tax: Bahamas charter tax of about 14% is usually added to the charter fee (10% VAT plus a 4% charter fee, paid to the Bahamas Port Department.).
  • Fly into Nassau (NAS) or Exuma (GGT); Nassau's marinas are 20–30 minutes from Lynden Pindling International, while regional and private flights access Out Island airstrips.
  • Cruising permits are required upon entry, and fishing or shelling is strictly prohibited within the boundaries of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.
  • Provision thoroughly in Nassau before departing for the Out Islands, where grocery selections are limited and dependent on weekly freight deliveries.
  • Careful tide monitoring and shallow-draft awareness are essential across the Bahama Banks, where shifting sandbars and coral heads require vigilant visual navigation.

Yachts listed for the Bahamas

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