TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums General Caribbean Abacos bareboat suggestions

This will be our first time in the Abacos, starting from Marsh Harbor.
We know we want to snorkel daily; fish daily; see the pigs; swim with turtles.

We plan on both grabbers and nippers, but don't need a beach bar every night (open to checking out your favs)

Any itinerary suggestions?

Any must do/must sees?

What time of year are you going? Weather conditions might dictate your itinerary.

Which pigs are you expecting to visit? I know of the ones on No Name Cay at Big O's. Those are located north of the Whale Cay Cut, and whether you are allowed to go there depends on whether your charter company allows it and/or whether you obtain the required permission. That cut can be subject to very rough conditions (so rough, in fact, that cruise ships abandoned their facility on the north end of Great Guana Cay years ago).

Be sure to include Hopetown on Elbow Cay in your plans. Climbing to the top of the lighthouse is a must-do every single time -- the view is beautiful, and the history is interesting. There are restaurants and bars in Hopetown as well. In all cases, I recommend you see what's open and operating, and when. The Abaco Sun website is a tremendous resource.

If your boat's draft allows, go to Little Harbour and visit Pete's Pub and Foundry. Good fun, good food.

Also, get your hands on the Cruising Guide to the Abacos (aka the "Dodge Bible"), which can be found on the website wspress.com. It's updated often and provides definitive information about navigation.

I'm returning to charter in the Abacos myself later this year, not having sailed here in a long time; but I'd rented a house in the last year on Green Turtle Cay and island-hopped on a rented powerboat, so I can assure you that there is plenty to do post-Dorian.

When? Birthday trip in June. North of whale cay is fine with the charter company.

No name cay/big Os are the pigs we're planning on.

Thanks for the suggestions, and the resource recommendations!

Excitement is building

June is a great time to go, so have fun!

Not trying to hijack, but…. How would visiting the Abacos (sailing) be in the second half of March? Is the weather usually less stormy by then.
Th x

March, and even early April, may still subject you to cold fronts. They start to calm down in frequency and strength by then, and you may luck out with perfect weather, but the weather is less reliable than a bit later in the spring. (As a Chesapeake denizen myself, I also find the water a little brisk for my swimming comfort.)

Oh my, Eva! I see why you keep going back!

We did entirely too much, but didn't do nearly enough, if that makes sense.

I could cheerfully have spent the entire week anchored around Nunjack, exploring with the dinghy, snorkeling, paddle boarding, seeing the rays and sharks, but limited myself to 2 nights.

We sailed from Nunjack to Great Guana for my birthday funday at Grabbers. Never made it across to Nippers, but I would have loved long sails every day as well!

We only went as far south as Tahiti Beach, could've cheerfully spent the week anchored there, walking the sandbar and tide pools, fun drinks and such from the Thirsty 'Cuda.

Fowl Cay, and Mermaid Reef. Beautiful.

So much to do! You could easily do a charter itinerary north of the Whale. Easily spend the time south of there as well. A land based with a rental boat would be fabulous.

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