Bahamas Yacht Charters
Seven hundred islands scattered across the western Atlantic, with protected anchorages, world-class bone-fishing, and the clearest water in the Atlantic basin — the Bahamas rewards charterers who know how to use them.
Charter by Vessel Type
Catamaran Charter in Bahamas
Spacious twin-hull vessels offering stability, comfort, and generous deck space for the ultimate charter experience.
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Sailing Yacht Charter in Bahamas
Classic sailing vessels that combine timeless elegance with the thrill of wind-powered adventure.
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Motor Yacht Charter in Bahamas
Powerful luxury vessels delivering speed, sophistication, and effortless cruising across any waters.
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Available Yachts in Bahamas
Bareboat Catamaran TURQUOISE
Lagoon 39 · 2014
From
€3k/week
Bareboat Sailing Yacht Dufour 412
Dufour 412 · 2020
From
$3k/week
Bareboat Sailing Yacht Dufour 382 Grand Large
Dufour 382 Grand Large · 2017
From
$3k/week
Bareboat Sailing Yacht Oceanis 41.1
Oceanis 41 · 2016
From
€3k/week
Bareboat Motor Yacht Bayliner 35
Bayliner 35 · 2008
From
$3k/week
Bareboat Sailing Yacht Mahalo Ohana
Jeanneau 41 · 2016
From
$3k/week
Bareboat Sailing Yacht Sun Odyssey 449
Sun Odyssey 449 · 2016
From
€3k/week
Crewed Motor Yacht Mangusta 72
Mangusta 72 · 2008
From
$3k/week
Bareboat Power Catamaran HAUMEA
Catamaran Motor Yacht MY37
From
$3k/week
Bareboat Catamaran Lagoon 400 S2
Lagoon 400 S2 · 2014
From
€4k/week
Bareboat Catamaran Bali 4.0
Bali 4.0 · 2017
From
$4k/week
Bareboat Catamaran Bali Catspace
Bali Catspace · 2020
From
$4k/week
The Bahamas is not one destination but several, each island group offering a distinct character. The Exumas deliver a 120-mile chain of uninhabited cays, tidal cuts, and turquoise shallows that are genuinely unlike anywhere else in the Caribbean basin. The Abacos present a civilised cruising circuit with excellent marinas, well-provisioned settlements, and consistent trade winds. New Providence and Paradise Island offer a different tempo — urban, energetic, and well-connected for embarkation. Knowing which Bahamas you want is the first decision; the second is choosing the right vessel for it.
Charter here runs from compact, shallow-draft catamarans threading the Exuma Land and Sea Park to large motor yachts berthed at Nassau's Atlantis marina and ranging south towards the Jumentos. The archipelago spans roughly 100,000 square miles of ocean and bank waters, which means a week's itinerary only scratches the surface. Most serious charterers return to the same island group multiple times before moving on.
Why Charter in Bahamas
The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park — established in 1958 and the first of its kind in the world — covers 176 square miles of protected waters where anchoring, fishing, and shell collecting are strictly regulated. The result is marine life density and coral health that most Caribbean destinations cannot match. Nurse sharks, green turtles, and Nassau grouper are encountered without effort. Warderick Wells, the park's headquarters, offers mooring buoys and a genuine sense of remoteness despite its accessibility from George Town.
Beyond the park, the Exuma Sound provides blue-water passages for sailing yachts and faster motor cruisers, while the Great Bahama Bank — never deeper than about 25 feet across vast stretches — creates the luminous turquoise colour that has made aerial photographs of this archipelago famous. The bank also means exceptional bonefishing on the flats, particularly around Andros and the southern Exumas, for charterers who want to combine sport fishing with cruising.
Provisioning is practical rather than exceptional. Nassau's Potter's Cay Dock supplies fresh conch and local catch daily, and larger provisions can be loaded at Exuma Markets in George Town or at Abaco's Marsh Harbour before departure. Fuel is available at most sizeable marinas, though prices in the out-islands carry a premium worth factoring into your budget.
Bahamas Highlights
Warderick Wells, Exuma Land and Sea Park — mooring-only anchorage with whale bones on the ridge, exceptional snorkelling, and no permanent human habitation; a definitive Bahamas experience.
Thunderball Grotto, Staniel Cay — tidal sea cave used in two Bond films; swim-through at low tide to find sergeant majors and angelfish in cathedral light.
Highbourne Cay — the northern gateway to the Exumas, with a private marina, fuel dock, and a short walk to the Atlantic-facing beach used by spotted eagle rays.
Compass Cay — shallow-draft anchorage where docile nurse sharks congregate at the dock; accessible to catamarans and smaller motor yachts, not to deep-draft vessels.
Great Guana Cay, Abacos — the Nippers Beach Bar Sunday pig roast is a genuine local institution, and the settlement's Atlantic-facing beach is one of the finest in the northern Bahamas.
Allan's Cay — northernmost of the Exumas, home to the endemic Bahamian rock iguana; charterers arriving at dawn before day-trippers have the anchorage to themselves.
Long Island — Blue Holes dive site at Dean's Blue Hole (202 metres, the world's second-deepest known ocean blue hole), combined with the extreme contrast of the island's Atlantic cliffs and Caribbean-calm western shore.
When to Sail
The Bahamas has a broadly favourable climate year-round, but winter cold fronts and summer hurricane risk define the true sailing windows. The classic season runs December through May, when the easterly trade winds blow steadily at 15–20 knots and the risk of tropical systems is negligible.
High Season (Jun-Sep)
These months fall inside the Atlantic hurricane season (officially June through November), and while most years pass without a direct hit, prudent charterers should ensure their vessel and insurance cover the risk, and build flexibility into itineraries. Temperatures are higher — typically 28–32°C — and humidity rises noticeably. On the positive side, seas are often calmer between systems, the water temperature peaks at around 29°C for exceptional visibility and diving, and marinas are considerably less congested. Some charterers specifically prefer July and August for the Exumas for exactly this reason. The Out Island Regatta in George Town typically occurs in April, just before season's end, drawing local boats from across the archipelago.
Shoulder Season (May, Oct)
May is arguably the most underrated month in the Bahamas. The trade winds are still reliable, water temperatures are rising towards their summer peak, crowds have thinned, and the hurricane season has not yet begun in earnest. October sits on the cusp — the statistical peak of hurricane season is mid-September, so risk decreases materially through October, but lingering systems remain possible. Rates tend to be lower than December through April, and the Exuma cays in particular feel genuinely remote. Both months offer good diving visibility, typically 25–30 metres on the outer reefs.
Choosing the Right Yacht
The Bahamas is catamaran country across most of the Exumas and the southern cays. Shallow draft — ideally under 1.2 metres — allows access to the most productive anchorages, the Pipe Creek labyrinth, and the flats around Pipe Creek and Rat Cay without the anxiety that deeper-keel vessels face on the banks. A Bali or Aquila catamaran in the 45–55 foot range gives a family or group of six a practical, comfortable platform that can be beached on a falling tide. For charterers who prioritise range, stability, and speed over the open Exuma Sound or crossing from Nassau, a motor yacht in the 70–100 foot range — an Azimut 88 Flybridge, for instance — offers air-conditioned interiors, a capable tender, and the ability to cover longer distances comfortably when weather dictates a schedule.
Seven Days Through the Exuma Cays from Nassau
A suggested week-long charter route
Depart Nassau's Nassau Harbour, heading south-east across the Yellow Bank. Anchor at Allan's Cay by mid-afternoon. Walk the northern beach at low tide to encounter the rock iguanas; they respond to offerings of fruit and are accustomed to calm, respectful visitors. First night on the hook — set two anchors if the swell from the north-east is running.
Transit south to Highbourne Cay marina for fuel and fresh provisions if needed, then continue to the Shroud Cay anchorage inside the Land and Sea Park. Dinghy up the creek system to the ridge above Bight of Shroud for the view north across the cays — a short but rewarding walk. Overnight on a park mooring buoy.
Warderick Wells — arrive early to secure one of the limited mooring buoys. Check in with the park warden. Afternoon snorkel on the Emerald Rock reef on the western shore. Sundowners on the ridge above the whale bones.
South to Compass Cay, arriving before the day-charter boats from Staniel Cay. The nurse sharks are most active in the morning. Continue to Pipe Creek for lunch — anchor in five feet of sand and snorkel the coral heads. Overnight at Staniel Cay Yacht Club; reserve a berth in advance during season.
Thunderball Grotto at slack low tide — ideally 0700 before the light shifts. Afternoon at Big Major's Spot to see the swimming pigs (a polarising experience, but one most guests ask for). Evening at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club bar, which has operated continuously since 1956.
Full day south to Black Point Settlement, Great Guana Cay (Exumas). Lorraine's Café serves cracked conch and peas and rice that define honest Bahamian cooking. The settlement's community laundry is also useful for crews on longer passages. Overnight anchor in the lee of the cay.
George Town, Great Exuma — enter Elizabeth Harbour and anchor off Stocking Island, or take a slip at Exuma Docking Services. Chat's restaurant at Volleyball Beach is the social hub of the anchorage. Fly home from Exuma International Airport, or reposition north by fast motor yacht if the schedule allows.
Local Tips
- •Customs and immigration must be completed at a Port of Entry — Nassau, Freeport, Marsh Harbour, or George Town — before proceeding to the out-islands. The Bahamas Customs and Immigration online portal (TBIS) allows pre-clearance, which saves considerable time on arrival. Cruising permits fees apply per vessel and are paid at customs.
- •Water depth on the banks is often misrepresented by older charts. Use the most current NOAA charts combined with real-time satellite imagery and local knowledge; chart datum in places like Pipe Creek can be optimistic. Spring tides add roughly 0.9 metres of range, but the neap range is only about 0.6 metres — plan transits through shallow cuts accordingly.
- •Conch is the defining ingredient of Bahamian cuisine and worth understanding before you order. Conch salad (cured raw, made to order at Nassau's Arawak Cay fish fry) differs considerably from conch fritters or cracked conch. Fresh cracked conch should be ordered where the shells are piled outside — a sign of volume turnover.
- •VHF channel 16 is monitored throughout the archipelago; marina bookings in season (December–April) should be made weeks in advance for Staniel Cay, Compass Cay, and Warderick Wells mooring buoys. Walk-in arrivals to the Land and Sea Park risk being turned away at peak periods.
- •The Bahamian dollar is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar, and USD is accepted universally. Credit cards work at most marinas and larger settlements, but cash remains essential in smaller cays. ATMs exist in Nassau, Freeport, Marsh Harbour, and George Town — stock up before heading south.
- •Tipping culture follows American convention — 15–20% at restaurants, generous cash tips for marina dock hands who handle lines for larger vessels in strong current. Local communities in the out-islands are small and word travels; treating settlement residents and dock staff with consideration has a measurable effect on the quality of local knowledge and assistance offered in return.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need sailing experience to charter in the Bahamas+
What is the shallowest draft I need to access the best Exuma anchorages+
Is the Bahamas suitable for families with young children+
How far in advance should I book a Bahamas charter+
What is included in the charter fee and what should I budget beyond it+
Which is the better base for a Bahamas charter — Nassau or George Town+
Speak with a SelectYachts broker to match the right vessel and crew to your preferred Bahamian itinerary.
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