The Bahamas offers some of the finest sailing in the Atlantic world, a combination of reliable northeast trade winds, clear shallow water and an island chain that stretches 1,500 kilometres from Walker Cay in the north to Great Inagua in the south. A sailing charter here rewards patience and curiosity: the best anchorages are off the chartplotter rather than in the marina guide, and the shallow Bahama banks offer spectacular downwind runs across aquamarine water that is rarely more than four metres deep.
The Bahamas sailing fleet covers roughly 19 vessels, from performance sloops and ketches to wide-beam catamarans suited to the shallow banks. Catamarans are particularly well adapted to the Bahamas: their minimal draft allows access to cays that monohulls cannot reach, and their spacious deck layouts suit the warm-water lifestyle that defines a Bahamas charter week. Monohull blue-water builds excel on the ocean passages north or south along the island chain.
Weekly sailing charter rates in the Bahamas begin around 30,000 euros and reach 150,000 euros for the most capable and contemporary builds. The advance provisioning allowance of around 30 percent covers fuel for engine passages, food, water and anchorage fees. Sailing charters are the most fuel-efficient way to explore the Bahamas chain, making the provisioning allowance work harder than on a motor yacht. May and November offer superb conditions and rates well below the December to April peak.
A Bahamas sailing itinerary can be built in many directions from Nassau. South takes the yacht through the Exumas to Staniel Cay and the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay, then down through George Town and the Elizabeth Harbour anchorage, popular with cruising yachts from around the world. North from Nassau reaches the Abacos, with Hopetown Harbour and its famous candy-striped lighthouse, and the unspoilt cays of the Abaco National Park.
