Alloy Yachts, the Auckland-based New Zealand shipyard that built some of the most capable sailing superyachts of the past three decades before closing in 2015, left behind a fleet of vessels that remain highly sought-after on the global charter market. In the southeastern Bahamas, where Cat Island sits at the convergence of the Atlantic swell and the Caribbean trade wind, a sailing charter has a particular logic: the northeast wind blows consistently through the Bahamian winter season, the passages between Nassau and Cat Island are good sailing in prevailing conditions, and the island’s 80-kilometre length means a week under sail can explore the anchorages of the northern, central and southern coasts without repeating a berth. Cat Island has changed little since the 1940s. The beaches at Fernandez Bay and Greenwood, the bonefishing flats north of Bennett’s Harbour and the reef diving off the eastern shore remain largely unvisited by the charter traffic concentrating in the Exumas and Abacos. Alloy sailing yachts in the Bahamas run from around 30 to 50 metres LOA, carrying six to ten guests. Weekly rates range from approximately 60,000 to 180,000 euros before the advance provisioning allowance of 30 per cent. Bahamas season runs December through April.
