7 Day's Sailing - Northern Exumas - Itinerary

[Palarran]

The Exumas are not ideal for charter, which is one of the reasons there were no charter boats there until recently. They are beautiful though. Well, the water mostly and great sailing. I could easily skip the land.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by The Traveler

I'm looking at some of the suggested itineraries (on here and elsewhere) for a 7 day charter out of Nassau and they seem awfully ambitious and optimistic. These are 20-60+ mile days. Am I missing something? I'm all for getting underway early and enjoying some good sailing but this is a lot to ask of the crew and doesn't leave much room for weather.

Would the trip be worth it if we just fit in Nassau, Norman Cay, Waderick Wells, and Shroud Cay? This still requires long days crossing from Nassau but the rest of the legs are about 20.

Biggest priority for us is snorkeling and beautiful anchorages but a few restaurants or shore experiences would be nice also.

Another easy run from Nassau is to just go straight to Spanish Wells, and hang there for a few days and then sail back.

Hell, the trip would be worth it if you didn't make it past Athol Island! (In fact, we've had a fun day trip, just sailing around Paradise Island, before).

[FamilyTrips]

Originally Posted by Lowcountry

You'll love the Exumas. Hopefully you'll get weather that cooperates with you and lets you maximize your time in the Exumas and not Nassau.

1. Highbourne has a nice beach on the banks side. The rest of the island is private. It's not a bad stop, but if you leave Nassau early enough there is no real reason to stop at Highbourne. You can go straight to Norman's on your way down. At Normans, depending on your draft, you can anchor off the great beach on the banks side, or you can go into the cut south of the island where the plane wreck is. The anchorage in the cut is beautiful, and there are several small islands to explore via dinghy. Downside is that there is a lot of current in there, and your boat might dance around a bit. I always slept better anchored off the beach, but YMMV.
Shroud Cay is stunningly beautiful. If I had to choose between spending time at Highbourne, Normans or Shroud, I would spend all of it at Shroud.
Warderick Wells is the jewel of the Exumas. You should try to spend as much time as possible here. There is nowhere on earth more beautiful. Give yourself at least two full days here.
I have never stopped at Compass, so maybe someone else can chime in on that.
Staniel Cay is good fun, but it will be crowded. We used to party at the SCYC a lot when I was younger, but now that I'm older I prefer less crowded places. I think that the pigs at Big Majors have had a negative effect on this part of the Exumas in that there are just too damn many boats coming to see them. It's bacon on the hoof. Big deal. They also bite, so beware.

2.Black Point is a nice settlement. People there are very friendly, but it isn't much of a tourist destination. It's no more difficult to get to than Staniel, really, but I wouldn't forego a day in the Land and Sea Park in exchange for a day at Black Point.

3. The route you take from Nassau to the Exumas will depend on your draft. If you are about 5.5' or less, you can cross the Yellow Banks (pay attention to coral heads, which are numerous). If your draft is greater than that, you will want to go south between the Yellow and White Banks. Your trip will be about 15 miles longer, but you should be at Highbourne in about 7 hours if you can make 6kts.

4. For me, Rose Island is a "must skip." After seeing the Exumas, you'll kick yourself for wasting a single minute on Rose Island.

If I were doing your trip, here's what my ideal itinerary would be:

Day 1: Nassau down to Norman's. Leave Nassau crack of dawn, anchor down at Normans around 3-4pm. Go ashore and kick around until dark. Dinner and drinks at McDuff's (call ahead for reservations).

Day 2: Anchor up early, sail on one tack down to Warderick Wells. Moor or anchor down by 1pm. Spend the rest of the day exploring.
Day 3: Spend all day exploring Warderick Wells.

Day 4: Anchor up early, sail down to Staniel Cay. Dock at SCYC or anchor at Big Majors by mid-day. You can anchor near the grotto, but lots of current there and holding isn't great. My anchor chain dragged around on hard bottom there and made noise/kept me up all night. Boat sat over anchor much of the time with chain grating on my hull/keel. I slept much better in the marina or anchored in sand at Big Majors. Go see the pigs if you like. Go snorkel the Grotto at low tide, but beware of currents. Go have dinner and drinks at the yacht club.

Day 5: Depart early, head up to Compass Cay for the day. Spend the day ashore there doing whatever.

Day 6: Depart early and sail up to Shroud Cay. Spend the rest of the day exploring the mangroves and beaches. Stunningly beautiful here.

Day 7: Depart very early for Nassau.

This all assumes that you have cooperative weather. Best wishes for a fun, memorable and safe trip!

Hi,
I'll be doing a similar sailing in June and your suggested itinerary sounds Really Good 👍.
Thank You so much!!!

[FamilyTrips]

Originally Posted by BahamaMomma

Hi all!

This is our first time sailing the Northern Exumas and we have a few questions about our itinerary.

We are sailing from Nassau (early morning departure) on Tuesday, Feb 25th. We will be returning after 7 days on Monday, March 2nd, arriving at the marina in Nassau by 4pm.


--We are looking at stopping at Highbourne, Normans, Shroud, Warderick Wells, Compass, Staniel and Black Point.

1) If we are looking to avoid the other boats. What island order would you recommend? What night of the week would you recommend for each anchorage? ( Will Staniel and Black Point be less busy on the weekend since most tours will start in Nassau on the weekend? )

2) Is getting to Black Point too much to attempt? Also, is Black Point worth the stop?

3) Do you recommend the cut through Yellow Bank from Nassau or do most Captains go around to the south?

4) Is Rose Island a "must-see"?

Many thanks in advance for any and all input you may be able to provide!

Hi,

I just found this thread and wondered How was your sailing and after all, what was your final itinerary and what are your recommendations? I'll be also departing from Palm Cay Marina.