Staniel Cay Yacht Charter

Yachts
Highlights
Photos
Enquire
Guide

Staniel Cay Superyacht Charter

Staniel Cay is one of the most popular and beautiful destinations in the Exumas, a tiny island at the heart of the chain that serves as a lively hub for exploring this stunning corner of the Bahamas. Surrounded by dazzling turquoise water and famous attractions, it captures the very essence of the Exumas.

The cay lies close to some of the most celebrated sights in the Bahamas, above all the swimming pigs of nearby Big Major Cay and the spectacular Thunderball Grotto, a sea cave made famous by the James Bond films, where snorkellers swim among shafts of light and colourful fish. The surrounding shallows and sandbars are simply breathtaking.

Staniel Cay itself offers a charming yacht club, a small colourful settlement and a warm island welcome, along with easy access to countless secluded cays and anchorages. Its clear, warm water is superb for swimming, snorkelling and relaxing.

Ashore, the cay offers fresh seafood, cold drinks and a lively, friendly atmosphere, all in a setting of exceptional beauty. Its blend of famous sights and island charm is irresistible.

With its swimming pigs, Thunderball Grotto and turquoise water, Staniel Cay is a highlight of the Exumas. Guests can snorkel a legendary sea cave, meet the famous swimming pigs and enjoy the dazzling beauty and island charm of the central Bahamas.
Available Yachts
Itineraries

The Yachts for charter in Staniel Cay

Search
Categories
Guests
Guests - slider
Guests - inputs
Length
Length - slider
Length - inputs
m
m
Price
Price - slider
Price - inputs
€
€
A 67.2-metre Alloy Yachts sailing ketch by Philippe Briand, once the largest sailing yacht built in the Southern Hemisphere.
Vertigo

67.2M

Alloy Yachts

2011

360000€

Guests

The 106.7-metre Oceanco Black Pearl is the largest and most revolutionary sailing yacht ever built, pairing the world’s biggest DynaRig with zero-fossil-fuel sailing and a soaring atrium interior, cruising the
Black Pearl

106M

Oceanco

2018

830000€

Guests

A 37 metre Palmer Johnson designed by Nuvolari Lenard, with a flybridge spa pool, a warm cherry interior for eight guests and a season that runs from the Bahamas to
Invictus

37M

Palmer Johnson

2006

80000€

Guests

A 65-metre Benetti with four guest lounges, a working-fireplace library and Club Seanna disco, built for families who actually use their yacht.
Seanna

65M

Benetti

2011

434000€

Guests

A rugged 67.5-metre Icon Yachts world-cruiser built for global adventure with the comforts of a full superyacht.
Loon

67.5M

Icon Yachts

2010

550000€

Guests

A 62-metre Feadship masterpiece by Winch Design, where every cabin tells a story drawn from literature and fairy tales, making her the finest family charter yacht afloat.
Sea Owl

62M

Feadship

2013

443000€

Guests

A 49.99 metre Westport tri deck built in 2009 and refit in 2014, chartering 12 guests in six staterooms with an on deck spa pool, a full beam master and
Sheherazade

49M

Westport

2009

260000€

Guests

A characterful 42.98-metre Gulf Craft with an exceptional nine-cabin layout for up to 16 guests, a deck Jacuzzi and generous living spaces, cruising the Mediterranean and Caribbean.
Integrity

42M

Gulf Craft

1977

127000€

Guests

A 35-metre Benetti Classic refreshed in 2020, with a full-beam main-deck master and a shallow draft built for the Bahamas, from $85,000 per week.
Heaven Can Wait

35M

Benetti

2006

85000€

Guests

The award-winning 48.8-metre Christensen Chasseur pairs a serene sycamore-and-onyx VARO interior with a full-beam rosewood master, a best-in-class sundeck with a ten-person jacuzzi and backlit onyx bar, a wheelchair elevator
Chasseur

48M

Christensen

2016

240000€

Guests

The award-winning 49.7-metre Rossinavi Lel is a sporty full-aluminium Luca Dini custom yacht with a record-setting cavernous beach club, two pools, an enclosable crystal veranda and a full-beam master with
Lel

49M

Rossinavi

2020

290000€

Guests

A 38-metre Benetti Fast 125 with a full-width salon, sky lounge and onboard gym, chartering the Caribbean and Bahamas for up to 10 guests from USD 150,000 per week.
INSPIRATION

38M

Benetti

2017

150000€

Guests

A 2023 Lagoon Seventy 7, S/Y J. Sparrow is a twenty-four metre sailing catamaran for eight guests in four cabins with a crew of four. Her master cabin has a
J. Sparrow

23M

Lagoon

2023

59000€

Guests

A 46-metre Pendennis with an elevator to every deck, a sun deck spa, a dedicated gym and one of the deepest toy inventories in her size class, chartering the West
JUBILEE

46M

Pendennis

1999

180,000€

Guests

Curated Selection

Tailored for You
A curated selection of Staniel Cay charter yachts directly in your inbox.

Highlights

Staniel Cay Yacht Charter
Staniel Cay yacht charters offer the freedom to experience the destination on your own terms. Each itinerary can be shaped around the way you want to travel, with the flexibility to move between time on the water, moments ashore and the simple pleasure of life on board.
Swimming Pigs
Big Major Cay’s swimming pigs draw boatloads of visitors every day, wading out to meet dinghies in the shallows for scraps of food. Local accounts suggest the pigs were originally raised on Staniel Cay itself before being moved to the uninhabited cay nearby, though the full story is disputed and no one account is confirmed. Whatever their origin, they’ve become one of the most photographed animals in the Bahamas.
Thunderball Grotto
The Thunderball Grotto is a limestone sea cave on Staniel Cay’s western side, lit by shafts of sunlight through openings in its domed ceiling and best entered by swimming through a low passage at slack low tide. It takes its name from the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball, shot partly inside the cave, and appeared again in 1983’s Never Say Never Again. Snorkellers regularly share the water with sergeant majors and other reef fish drawn to the light.
Staniel Cay Yacht Club
A charming yacht club anchors the little island, founded in 1956 by Bob Chamberlain and Joe Hocher and still run today as the social and practical hub of Staniel Cay. Its docks, fuel pumps and clubhouse restaurant have made it a fixture for cruisers passing through the Exumas for nearly seventy years. Around twenty moorings sit just offshore, usually full through the winter charter season.
Turquoise Shallows
Dazzling turquoise shallows surround the cay, nowhere more so than the sandbars of Pipe Creek to the south, a maze of shifting shoals and clear water popular for a slow afternoon of snorkelling between anchorages. Their clear water is perfect for swimming, and the sandbars themselves are often exposed at low tide, making them a favourite stop for a picnic set up directly on the sand.
Secluded Cays
Countless secluded cays lie all around, from Fowl Cay’s private anchorage a short cruise north to Bitter Guana Cay’s colony of rock iguanas to the south, both easy day trips from Staniel Cay itself. They offer beautiful and peaceful spots away from the yacht club’s own steady traffic, and together with Pipe Creek they give guests a reason to base here for more than a single night.

Staniel Cay Yacht Charter Enquire

Enquire about a Staniel Cay yacht charter to receive current yacht availability, seasonal guidance and expert insight into the cruising areas, anchorages and experiences that best fit your preferred style of charter, creating a clearer route to the right itinerary.

Charter Guide

Discover More

Staniel Cay Yacht Charter Itineraries

The Week Unfolds
Across Staniel Cay, each itinerary reveals a different rhythm, from lively ports and waterfront towns to secluded anchorages, island escapes and stretches of coastline best discovered from the sea. Together, they create a more layered way to explore, with every route shaped by the places, experiences and moments found along the way.

Staniel Cay Must See & Do

The anchorages, experiences and places that define a yacht charter in Staniel Cay, and the ones worth building your itinerary around.
Top Anchorages

Staniel Cay Yacht Club Marina
Thunderball Grotto Mooring Field
Fowl Cay
Bitter Guana Cay
Pipe Creek

Top Things to Do

Snorkel Thunderball Grotto at slack low tide
Meet the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay
Spot the rock iguanas of Bitter Guana Cay
Explore the sandbars of Pipe Creek
Dine and provision at Staniel Cay Yacht Club

Top Places to Visit

Staniel Cay Yacht Club
Thunderball Grotto
Big Major Cay
Fowl Cay
Pipe Creek

Staniel Cay Charter Guide

Everything you need to know before chartering a yacht in Staniel Cay, from the best time to visit to where to drop anchor.
When's the best time to charter around Staniel Cay?

The busy winter season, roughly December through April, brings the calmest weather and the fullest anchorages at Staniel Cay Yacht Club, while summer is quieter but falls within the Atlantic hurricane season. Late spring offers a good middle ground: settled conditions, warm water for snorkelling Thunderball Grotto, and noticeably fewer boats jostling for a look at the swimming pigs.

How do you fly into Staniel Cay?

Staniel Cay Airport (MYES) has a 3,000-foot runway serving scheduled and charter flights, mostly from Nassau and South Florida, making it one of the more accessible small airstrips in the Exumas. Most charter guests fly in to join a yacht already cruising the cays rather than travelling independently before boarding.

Where's the best place to tie up at Staniel Cay?

Staniel Cay Yacht Club offers around twenty moorings plus fuel and provisions right in the settlement, the obvious base for exploring Thunderball Grotto and Big Major Cay nearby. Guests wanting more space can anchor off Fowl Cay to the north or in the shallows around Pipe Creek to the south, both a short cruise from the yacht club itself.

How many days should we spend at Staniel Cay?

Two to three nights let guests snorkel Thunderball Grotto, meet the swimming pigs, explore Pipe Creek’s sandbars and still have time for a slower day at the yacht club. As the unofficial hub of the Exuma Cays, Staniel Cay also works well as a base for day trips further into the Land and Sea Park to the north.

Is it okay to swim with the pigs at Big Major Cay?

Yes, but with care: the pigs are wild animals used to being fed by hand, and guests are generally advised to offer food flat on an open palm or toss it rather than hold it out, since an excited pig can nip. Visiting earlier in the day before the crowds build tends to make for a calmer encounter for both the pigs and the guests photographing them.

Sales
Yachts for Sale
By Types
Boats
Yachts
Yacht Charter
Mediterranean
Caribbean
Adventures

More Information

Tell us what you would like to know, and our team will respond with clear details on availability, specification, pricing and next steps.