Yacht charter in the Bahamas

01 · Overview

Yacht charter in the Bahamas

The Bahamas are famous for water so clear and shallow that you can see the bottom for miles. That makes a shallow-draft catamaran the right boat, and every boat on our desk here is one. The islands run for hundreds of miles, with quiet cays, reefs and some very remote anchorages.

02 · The sailing grounds

The sailing grounds

Most boats leave from Palm Cay on New Providence, near Nassau, for the Exumas to the south-east, a chain of cays that includes the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. Marsh Harbour is the base for the Abacos in the north. Reading the water colour matters here, and charts and local briefings are essential.

03 · Season and weather

Season and weather

December to May is the main season, with steady trade winds. The hurricane season runs from June to November, with the highest risk from August to October.

04 · The fleet on our desk

The fleet on our desk

We list about 40 boats in the Bahamas from 4 charter companies. All of them are catamarans. Half the boats were built in 2024 or later, and the typical boat is about 46 ft long with 4 cabins. The most common models here are the Leopard 46PC, Leopard 50 and Leopard 40 PC.

05 · Ways to charter

Ways to charter

Boats in the Bahamas offer these kinds of charter (a boat can offer more than one):

Crewed (20 boats): a skipper and crew come with the boat, often with a cook or host.

Bareboat (18 boats): you skipper the boat yourself. The skipper needs a licence the operator accepts, and usually a VHF radio certificate.

06 · What a week costs

What a week costs

These prices are for the boat for seven nights, taken from the 2027 offers we hold in November 2026.

In August, the cheapest month for most boats here, a well-priced boat costs about €5,200 a week and the middle of the fleet about €7,600.

In April, the dearest month, the middle of the fleet costs about €12,100 a week.

The cheapest tenth of boats here start from about €4,400 a week, and the top tenth from about €15,700.

Fuel, marina fees, the final clean and any skipper are usually extra on bareboat yachts; crewed boats include their crew. Each boat page shows what its operator includes and the live price for your dates.

07 · Bases and start days

Bases and start days

Boats start from Palm Cay One Marina (23 boats), Beach Resort Marina (11 boats), Marsh Harbour Marina (2 boats) and TradeWinds Yacht Club (1 boat). Many boats can start on any day of the week, with Sunday the most common.

08 · Getting there

Getting there

Nassau's international airport has direct flights from North America and connections from Europe. Marsh Harbour has its own airport.