Marsh Harbor

[BEENONLAND]

So I am taking a boat with family leaving Norfolk ,stopping in Beaufort to shake the boat down as it has had a lot of work done to it as of late.Then going to Marsh Harbor,never been there,then shooting for Puerto Rico.
I am not familiar with the Bahamas except a few places in the Exumas.The bought draws 6.6" so it makes me a little nervous going into a place I have not been in yet .So are there great books on such as the best ways to get in and out from offshore?Or are there any good suggestions from any of you folks.I always have erredon the side of caution.All comments would be appreciated,we leave the end of October or so.

[Lowcountry]

Steve Dodge has a good guide for the Abacos. You can get into the Sea of Abaco through the Man O War Cut, but 6.6 is on the deep side for the Bahamas. That said, I'm pretty sure you can at least get into Marsh Harbour. It's been over 3 years since I was last there, but I seem to recall anchoring in about 8' of water with very good holding.

[Amapola]

Get the Explorer charts before you leave. They are the gold standard for the Bahamas. They have loads of information about each area.

[onestepcsy37]

spent last summer in the abacos, including several weeks in marsh harbor.

as lowcountry said, get the dodge guide to the abacos. i normally recommend the explorer series of charts for the bahamas but for the abacos the dodge guide has a bit of an edge. because of your draft i think i would buy both.

there are some good entrances from the atlantic and some bad ones, so check the dodge guide for advice. in bad weather, none of the entrances are good, so that will also be a factor. once you're inside the sea of abaco you won't encounter any big seas, and it's deep enough to carry you into marsh harbor.

marsh harbor has several marinas but you can also anchor out and use the town dock - shown as 'union jack' dock on the charts. there is one large american style supermarket - maxwells - that you can walk to. and stop at junovias for a real bahamian lunch or dinner at reasonable prices....

[nautical62]

Marsh Harbour handles bigger boats which even more draft. The Man-O-War Channel is probably your best bet. Just realize when you get into the Harbour itself you won't be able to get as far in as some of the boats you see. I'm looking at the Explorer chart close up now, and it looks like you can actually anchor fairly close off the dingy dock. I've anchored in that area several times myself.

If that's your only stop, I don't think you really need to buy any special guides or chart books, but if you will be cruising the area more, I second Dodge's guide and the Explorer Charts.

[btrayfors]

No problem. I draw 6ft 6in, too.

Here's a shot of Born Free in Marsh Harbor at the dock.

Use the Man-O-War Channel.

Bill