Bahamas- Trip Advise

[David Hope]

Looking for input on places to see, etc in the Bahamas. We will be taking our first trip there and plan on staying about a month (mid June thru July). We have never been and are looking for advise on making this trip. Places to see, anchorage, what to be careful of etc. Our family consist of myself, my wife, 2-seven year old boys and 3 dogs. We'll do the tourist thing for about a week out of the trip then explore some quieter out of the way place's. Thanks for the input.

 

[Choices]

Well, your going during hurricane season. That means you need to have enough boat to get to the US no matter what the sea state. I liked Chubb and Fresh Creek. The kids will go nuts. You could have issues with dogs.

Be prepared to fish everytime you move the boat. Don't hesitate to hire a local as a guide.

Have fun.

 

[TBill36]

The Abacos are probably the most cruiser friendly. The northern end from Walkers to Spanish is still pretty undeveloped. Then from Spanish it's a short hop to Green Turtle, then on down to the hub around Marsh with all the out islands. It's all pretty protected on the inside and marine services are available if needed. If you want more adventure, from there you can jump over to the Berries which are less developed. Work your way from Great Harbor over to Chub, then over to Bimini and SE cost of FL from there. Or just retrace your steps back through the Abacos and leave the Berries for next time. When my kids were little, I had a 3 day rule. 3 days anchored out and then a marina with a pool. Seemed to keep everyone happy with less time on top of each other.

 

[Sababa]

We had a fantastic time on a Moorings bare-boat charter down the Exumas last year. Their recommended itinerary was spot on.

https://www.moorings.com/destinations/americas/bahamas/exumas-yacht-charters/itinerary

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. DH. About the only advice I can contribute is: Wherever you are, look for a bakery.

 

[David Hope]

Thanks for the input, I'll start mapping out some of the area's that are being recommended.

 

[Keysdisease]

When you find said Bakery, buy twice as much as you need, because you will eat half of it walking back to the boat

Greetings,
Mr. DH. About the only advice I can contribute is: Wherever you are, look for a bakery.

 

[ronobrien]

I've sailed there a few times. Beware of the wind patterns which occur on roughly a monthly basis. The wind backs through the compass and when it is blowing northerly, nobody leaves port and you should be aware and have a port to get to before it does go north. TBill36 advice is sound in my experience. Many nice places fairly close.We got stuck (if you can call it that) in Marsh Harbor when the wind was blowing northerly. That was in 2019, the year before they got wiped during a hurricane. I don't know what it looks like today.

 

[HalcyonDays]

The Abaco’s are a great start and close by if you need to run from a storm. Buy the Explorer chart books.

 

[SailorGreg]

Spent the last seven seasons in the Bahamas. Our blog may give you some ideas: mvprivateer.com

 

[Jeff F]

Buy the Explorer chart books.

I bought a one year subscription for the electronic version on the Aqua Map app. Money well spent.
I recently did a circle tour of the major groups. My favourites were the Exumas, for the sheer natural beauty, and Eleuthera and Cat Island for the relatively unraveled communities.
Lots of pics in my blog Bahamas!

 

[Jim Cooper]

Try to find a list of local festivals or regattas for each of the islands and plan to visit those islands during those times. You will really feel the Bahamian culture if you catch one or two of these. Fresh Creek, Andros has their Crab Fest mid June.

 

[Tingum]

You will need permits for the dogs. I strongly recomend Wellington at: Bahamas petpermit.com. You can do it on your own but he makes the process much easier.