Bahamas Outer Island Cruising Guide

Fly to North Eleuthera international airport, where the captain will escort you to your yacht. The yacht will be docked off Harbor Island, where you will be spending the first day and a half of your Bahamian outer island cruise. For keen fishermen, this area provides excellent flat and bluewater fishing. Fly-fish on the banks for bonefish and troll for wahoo and sailfish in the Atlantic. Spearfish enthusiasts should head to the great outer reefs and pinnacles, frequently replenished by the deep Atlantic ocean currents. Ashore are good shopping, dining & nightlife options. The crew will arrange golf carts so you can explore the town at your leisure and find your perfect beach.

A full day of cruising around the area takes in Spanish Wells – taste authentic Bahamian bread or go bonefishing. After breakfast, walk Harbour Island’s iconic pink sand beach, or just relax on the yacht’s flybridge. The captain and the crew will be standing by with the 35ft everglades center console to whisk guests out to the ocean for freediving or snorkelling around the stunning local reefs.
Mid-afternoon, while the sun is still high, we cross the fabled devil’s backbone. The only entrance and exit for larger yachts, this must be done with the assistance of highly experienced local pilots. Sip cocktails on the flybridge while we navigate this treacherous stretch of reef. Once in bluewater, the first mate will be standing by in the 35ft everglades to take you for an afternoon cruise around northern Eleuthera and through the current cut to check out the glass window. This is where your yacht will be moored for the evening. Dinner and cocktails are served on the aft deck with views over this most remote of anchorages.

Before the sun rises, the crew will weigh anchor and head south to Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club. Cape Eleuthera, on the southern end of Eleuthera, is an excellent spot for a day of fishing. The deep water of the Atlantic pushes sea life up to the shallow waters between Eleuthera and Little San Salvador, making this a haven for wahoo, sailfish, and blue marlin. The resort and marina of Cape Eleuthera is known for its respect to the environment. Less than a mile from the harbour mouth is the eastern drop-off to the Exuma sound. Large groupers, snappers, and hogfish are abundant in 20–30ft of water. Explore Eleuthera by land to discover idyllic beaches and small villages with unique charms – crew can arrange a car. Surfers can enjoy world-class breaks here, too.

Wake up to Cat Island with the tender rigged and ready for serious fishing. Tartar bank, just 5nm south of the anchorage, is a spectacular pinnacle that shoots from 2500 feet to 50 feet. It’s loaded with large yellowfin tuna, blue marlin, and abundant mahi-mahi. You can almost guarantee a large yellowfin tuna anytime of the year. During the springtime large billfish cruise through, making for an exciting day and even a possible grand slam. Inshore, the flats and estuaries of hawks nest offer great bonefishing and permit angling on light tackle or fly. The nearby drop-off offers deep dropping for 100lb misty groupers, and the coastal reefs are covered in healthy elkhorn and brain corals. The sound side of cat island has calm protected beaches perfect for a relaxing afternoon of Caribbean cocktails and your favourite tunes. Deck crew will be standing by to help guests paddleboard or pull the kids around on the wakeboard.

One of the most impressive spots of the Bahamas national trust is tiny Conception Island. Boasting one of the most beautiful beaches in the Bahamas, the island’s interior consists of intricate mangrove tidal streams and pools, breeding grounds for hundreds of hawksbill and green turtles. On an outgoing tide, armed with a mask and snorkel, drift out of the lagoon, surrounded by sea turtles, small reef sharks, and sea fan gardens to the drop-off of 3,000 feet. In the afternoon, crew will set up a beach bbq of the freshest seafood and finest cuts of meat. Beach toys including a volleyball net, bocce balls, and seabobs, will be ready for action. A sunset cruise on the 35ft everglades brings you out to the nearby keys to see the large population of indigenous sea birds. Bird enthusiasts travel here from all over the world to witness the Bahamas' largest nesting of brown-footed boobies and terns.

Our next cruise will take us to the island of rum cay. Not many yachts stopped here until summer point marina opened. Today, this is a great protected base to explore the surrounding area. The marina is owned by an expat who loves his island and will show you around by boat, land, or plane. The owner is also an artist, making creative life-size coral sculptures of dolphins, turtles and other marine life. Off summer point is the wreck of the HMS Conqueror, the royal navy’s first steam-powered ship, which sank in about 30ft of water near the marina. It’s interesting for a quick snorkel after lunch. The nearby settlement of Port Nelson gives guests a peek of the real Bahamas, with its unique island charm and sand roads. After another amazing meal onboard your yacht, enjoy a bonfire on the beach. Life is good right now.

At first light, your yacht gets underway to your departure destination, Georgetown, Great Exuma. Upon arrival, the chef will prepare a light lunch before afternoon takeoff from Exuma International Airport.