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BAREBOAT YACHT CHARTER: Explore one of these glorious holiday destinations in your own sailing yacht.
FLOTILLA SAILING HOLIDAYS: Sail your own yacht with the added support of a lead boat crew.
LEARN TO SAIL HOLIDAYS: Start from scratch or brush up your skills.
MOTORYACHT CHARTER: Do you prefer power to sail?
CREWED YACHTS: Relax, let the crew do the work.
SAIL AND STAY HOLIDAYS: Why not add a few days ashore in a hotel?
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BAREBOAT YACHT CHARTER: Sail your yacht in any one of our glorious holiday destinations and explore at your own pace.
MOTORYACHT CHARTER: Do you prefer power to sail?
CREWED YACHTS: Relax, let the crew do the work.
SAIL AND STAY HOLIDAYS: Why not add a few days ashore in a hotel?
- PLAN YOUR TRIP
AIRPORT PARKING & HOTELS: Save up to 60% when you book airport parking & hotels in advance.
BOOKING CONDITIONS: Check our Booking Conditions.
CAR RENTAL: Rent a car instead of an airport transfer or if you add a week ashore.
CRUISING GUIDES: Start planning before you travel with a cruising guide or chart to your sailing destination.
PASSPORTS & VISAS: Check the passport & visa requirements of your sailing destination.
SAILING LOGS: Read our reports on sailing holidays we've been on.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: Don't travel without adequate insurance. We offer single trip or Annual multi-trip travel insurance.
TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN: Read our handy hints on taking small children on a sailing holiday.
USEFUL LINKS: Check these websites for more information on your sailing destination.
WHAT'S ONBOARD: Standard inventory for all charter yachts.
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CONTACT: Check our details and opening hours.
REQUEST A BROCHURE: Order our latest brochure.
WHO WE ARE: Meet the Nautilus team.
WHY BOOK WITH US: How do you benefit?
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Are you thinking of buying a new yacht and putting her with a charter fleet? Speak to us about the best deal for you. Nautilus Yachting has been arranging sailing holidays throughout the Mediterranean & Caribbean since 1992 so we are ideally qualified to advise you on yacht charter management. Find out more
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Sailing Holidays in Bahamas
Despite being under an hour flying time from Miami, the Abacos are a beautiful sailing destination in the Bahamas virtually untouched by mass tourism.
The "out islands" of the Abacos stretch 120 miles to form a banana-shaped archipelago of pale sandy islands, tranquil bays, sheltered harbours and sleepy historic villages. The beaches are spectacular, mile after mile of white sand inhabited more by seabirds than people and plenty of reefs for fantastic snorkelling and scuba diving.
Drop anchor at Hope Town, with its famous candy-striped lighthouse. The flowering gardens, quaint pastel cottages, and white picket fences are reminiscent of the New England "Loyalists" who settled here. Whether you head north to Green Turtle or south to Little Harbour you're in for some of the best sailing the Bahamas has to offer. Popular stops include Green Turtle Cay, Great Guana Cay and Man-o’-War Cay. Local cuisine includes the freshest fish, lobster and the best cracked conch you’ll ever taste! And when you see the extraordinary colour of the water surrounding these islands, you’ll know you’ve arrived at a perfect location for your sailing holiday.
Sailing in Bahamas
This cruising area offers easy sailing, with protected calm seas and short 1-2 hour passages. It's easy sailing from one idyllic spot to the next, where you'll find snug harbours, deserted sandy white beaches, and captivating villages. But with generally shallow waters, navigation lessons take on greater meaning. An ideal choice for families and less experienced sailors, the sheltered cruising grounds of the Sea of Abaco are perfect for those who want to take life easy and enjoy a relaxed sailing holiday in the Bahamas.
DAY 1 : Embark at Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island, the third largest town in the Bahamas with a range of shops to stock up with provisions.
DAY 2 : Hope Town on Elbow Cay is a picturesque village, with a touch of New England. The candy-striped Elbow Reef Lighthouse has been a landmark in the Abacos since 1863. Explore the eclectic shops and excellent range of restaurants.
DAY 3 : Man-O-War Cay on the north side of Great Abaco Island, is a long, narrow island, about 2 ½ miles (4 km) long and only 10 metres wide at its narrowest point but well serviced with grocers, gift shops and restaurants. Enjoy snorkelling, beach-combing and bone fishing here.
DAY 4 : Green Turtle Cay has secluded coves and wonderful beaches. Coco Beach is a place of serene beauty with a crescent-shaped beach lined with casuarina pine trees, and Ocean Beach has exceptional reef snorkelling. There are 2 marinas at the northern end of the island - Bluff House Marina on White Sound has recently been renovated and Green Turtle Marina also has excellent facilities, plus live music
DAY 5 : Little Harbour, located on the east side of Great Abaco Island, is surrounded by a beautiful sandy beach and offers a protected anchorage, overlooked by a deserted lighthouse. Porpoises and sea turtles swim in the clear blue waters of the harbour and on its western side there are genuine pirate caves at the foot of the cliffs that are worth exploring. North Beach has a magnificent coral reef that makes for a fascinating snorkelling spot.
DAY 6 : The historic town of New Plymouth has plenty of shops, bars and restaurants. The two main harbours are White Sound to the north and Black Sound to the south.
DAY 7 : Treasure Cay is home to one of the Top Ten beaches in the world – a picture-perfect, crescent-shaped, white-sand beach that stretches over 5km. It has a good range of watersports facilities including a number of dive shops which will arrange a scuba diving trips.
DAY 8 : Return to Marsh Harbour.
Sailing conditions
Trade winds blow anywhere from 5-20 knots, with higher gusts in winter months. The entire cruising ground is protected by a barrier reef, which moderate sea conditions year-round. Weather averages 77-89oF year-round. Best time to come is February to June. There's a risk of tropical storms during August and September. Experience level 1.
Yacht charter in Bahamas
Charter from Marsh Harbour in the Abaco islands of the Bahamas. Charters start and finish any day (minimum 5 nights), giving you total flexibility over your holiday dates.
Click on the yacht names below to view yacht layout & specification
2 cabin
3 cabin
Catamarans
Yacht charter rates are shown WITHOUT flights giving you the flexibility to book your own flights.
If you want a flight-inclusive holiday Nautilus Yachting is a fully bonded ATOL tour operator and can book flights from the UK to fit your sailing holiday. Choose from a wide choice of airlines - we are not tied to any particular airline. All flight-inclusive holidays are fully bonded for your financial protection under our ATOL 3016. Airport transfers can also be pre-arranged.
FLIGHTS TO MARSH HARBOUR:
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have direct flights to Miami and Nassau with connecting flights to Marsh Harbour.
Whether you are an experienced sailor or setting foot on a yacht for the first time, we can offer you a holiday afloat to suit you. We have given all the sailing areas a level with 'Experience Level 1' suitable for less experienced crews and 'Experience Level 3' for the experts.
This takes into account the wind strength, tidal range and currents, distances between stops and ease of mooring. Of course even experts may choose to sail in Level 1 areas as they still offer stunning scenery and great sailing.
Experience Level 1: BVI, Bahamas, Florida Keys
Generally light winds Force 2-4, line of sight navigation, shorter sailing distances under 20nm. You will be Day Skipper standard having sailed at least 1 week or 100nm as skipper
Experience Level 2: Antigua, St Martin, St Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Belize
Stronger winds up to Force 3-5 with some longer passages up to 30nm. You will be Day Skipper standard having sailed at least 2 weeks or 200nm as skipper
Experience Level 3: Cuba. One way itineraries, eg Antigua to St Martin, St Lucia to Grenadines
Stronger winds up to Force 4-7 which can lead to bigger seas on long passages between the islands. You will be Coastal Skipper standard with experience to a higher level having sailed at least 4 weeks or 400nm as skipper.
To charter a yacht bareboat or on flotilla you should be Day Skipper standard and be assisted by at least one competent crew.
At present you need an RYA Day Skipper qualification or RYA International Certificate of Competence (ICC) for charters in Croatia, Montenegro, Mallorca, Tenerife and Malta.
The RYA ICC will be ever more required by overseas port authorities but if you have skipper experience it is easily obtained in a day from RYA sailing schools in the UK such as Hamilton Sailing or Brixham Sea School
Yacht charter rates are shown WITHOUT flights giving you the flexibility to book your own flights.
If you want a flight-inclusive holiday Nautilus Yachting is a fully bonded ATOL tour operator and can book flights from the UK to fit your sailing holiday. Choose from a wide choice of airlines - we are not tied to any particular airline. All flight-inclusive holidays are fully bonded for your financial protection under our ATOL 3016. Airport transfers can also be pre-arranged.
FLIGHTS TO MARSH HARBOUR:
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have direct flights to Miami and Nassau with connecting flights to Marsh Harbour.
Green Turtle Cay is a beautiful and unspoilt island with secluded coves alive with the ghosts of seventeenth century pirates and wonderful beaches. Coco Beach is a place of serene beauty with a crescent-shaped beach lined with casuarina pine trees, and Ocean Beach has exceptional reef snorkelling.
The picturesque town of New Plymouth was originally settled in 1783 by Loyalists – American colonists remaining loyal to the British monarchy who fled New England at the time of the American Revolution. The Albert Lowe Museum in the town is housed in a meticulously restored Loyalist house and the collection of artefacts, furniture and photographs shows how arduous life has been here in the Out Islands since the Loyalists first arrived.
With 29 dive destinations, and over a 1,000 regularly dived sites the Bahamas is THE place to head for if you are looking for really exciting scuba diving. There are unspoilt reefs, a plethora of wrecks, guaranteed shark encounters, the chance to swim with wild dolphins, spectacular walls and blue holes, and fantastic caves. There are 7 dive companies in the Abacos so you can arrange a dive to suit your itinerary.
"The booking process was straightforward, and the staff at Nautilus were very helpful and informative to all the questions that I put to them, seeing this was my first time chartering a yacht."
Athens 2012 - I.A.
