It’s time to start planning your sailing plans somewhere warm now that the boating season in the Northern states is closing down. The Bahamas is one of the best destinations to go boating in the off-season. Who wouldn’t want to spend autumn on a tropical island surrounded by sunshine and crystal-clear blue waters? A change of pace, the beautiful blue water, the warmth, and, of course, the consistently mild temperatures are just a few of the reasons to visit the Bahamas. Now is the perfect moment to extend your summer with a voyage there. Relax on a deserted beach, swim with pigs, discover nature, and experience the local cuisine – there’s something for everyone. So, let’s see the best sailing destinations in the Bahamas in order to give you some ideas about your sailing voyage!

Here Are Some of the Best Sailing Spots in the Bahamas

The Exumas

The Exumas, a chain of 365 cays in the Bahamas that span more than 100 miles, look like paradise: sugary beaches, blue oceans, long bright days – and endless adventure. A trip to the Exumas should be on the bucket list of any ocean lover. The Exumas’ waters are great for all sorts of watersport activities and of course, for sailing. In the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park, visitors can bounce between small, uninhabited isles in pursuit of a secluded slice of paradise. Finish the day with a meal of freshly caught seafood and a beverage on the beach – perhaps one that matches the ocean’s beautiful palette of blues and greens.

The Exumas are a group of tiny islands and cays that surround Exuma and give boaters a variety of activities and sites to visit. On the island, George Town is a popular overnight stop as well as a terrific destination to spend the week. A full-service marina, harbor, and restaurants are all available in George Town. Additionally, the beach is a popular and scenic tourism and sailing attraction. Norman Cay is a popular area, with plenty of spots to dock and a stunning coral reef to enjoy. Another fantastic place to spend the day is Highborn’s Cay. The world-famous ‘Octopus Garden’ reef, which is rich in biodiversity, is located on the cay. Pig Beach on Big Major Cay Island is home to swimming pigs and there are no humans there. The snorting pigs will paddle out to greet you as you arrive at the beach!

>>Also Read: Bahamas Sailing Guide

The Abacos

This series of islands in the northern Bahamas is particularly popular with cruisers. Unless they’re in desperate need of supplies, most sailors would opt for the scenic communities of Marsh Harbour or Hope Town instead of the crowded, cruise-ship-centered Freeport. Great Guana Cay is known for its long stretch of white sand beach on the Atlantic side, and it is sparsely populated with few shops and restaurants. Cruising in Bakers Bay, the area’s most beautiful anchorage is a wonderful way to end the day. Starting with snorkeling the adjacent reefs, Manjack Cay has lots of activities to offer from diving to hiking.

With its small streets, white picket fences, and brightly painted buildings, New Plymouth, the quaint community on Green Turtle Cay, embodies Bahamian beauty. In addition, Elbow Cay, with historic Hope Town, White Sound, and Tahiti Beach, has a lot to offer sailors.

The lovely and isolated anchorage in Little Harbour on Great Abaco is a location that time seemed to have forgotten. The port is separated from the Atlantic by a short peninsula, where the waves pound and the balmy trade breezes sweep across the white-sand beach. Lastly, Lynyard Cay is an ideal spot for a safe anchorage away from the Atlantic’s swells and east winds.

The Bimini Islands

Cruisers frequently visit the Bimini islands, which include Cat and Gun cays. Cat Cay is a convenient port of entry, and nearby Gun Cay is a pleasant area to spend a few nights before crossing the Great Bahama Bank. Of course, being part of a tropical archipelago like the Bahamas means there are a plethora of amazing beaches just waiting to be discovered. But, there are also numerous activities you can engage in. Kayaking and paddleboarding are popular activities in Bimini and are ideal for exploring the surrounding cays, such as the lovely Honeymoon and Gun Cays. Snorkeling and scuba diving are, of course, commonplace in this area.

Andros Islands

Unlike most of the Bahamian islands, Andros’ interior has remained relatively undeveloped for tourists, maintaining much of the island’s natural beauty. Andros consists of three large islands (North Andros, Mangrove Cay, and South Andros Island) as well as hundreds of cays connected by mangrove estuaries and tidal marsh areas. Keep in mind that the island is home to around 200 distinct bird species. Divers love this location because they can see the “blue holes” and coral reefs. Andros Island is famous for its wall diving and is located near the Tongue of the Ocean, a deep marine trench.

The most popular cruiser destinations are Fresh Creek and Morgan’s Bluff. Andros Island is a group of Bahamian islands that are politically treated as a single island, with a total size larger than all of the other 700 Bahamian islands put together. Although it is the largest of the Bahamas’ islands, it is also the least developed and explored. Andros has a barrier reef that stretches for more than 140 miles along the island’s east coast. It also reaches a depth of 6,000 feet, forming part of the Tongue of the Ocean’s western edge.

The islands in the archipelago are ideal for sailing and anchoring if you want to experience amazing natural settings and tranquility. Note that the islands consist of numerous uninhabited beach stretches. Morgan’s Bluff Beach is one of Andros Island’s popular spots, with legends of hidden wealth buried beneath the sand. Fresh Creek is another interesting spot to visit, where you can see Captain Bill’s Blue Hole. The 440-foot-diameter hole is part of an underground network of cave systems beneath the island.

>>Also Read: Best Time to Sail to the Bahamas

Eleuthera

Eleuthera is a lovely and somewhat off-the-beaten-path destination for sailors. In most areas, the island is less than a half-mile wide and approximately 100 miles long. Eleuthera is one of the Bahamas’ safest and most intriguing islands, and it’s a popular sailing destination. Eleuthera is a slender and long island that is part of the Great Bahama Bank. The island and its cays have a total of 210 miles of beautiful and clean shoreline.

It consists of a long main island with various settlements, four cays, and Windermere Island, which is located to the east. This makes it ideal for finding a peaceful stretch of beach where you may anchor or explore the reefs. Hatchet Bay is a great anchorage with practically all-around protection. Governor’s Harbour is a picturesque village, and Rock Sound’s convenience is hard to beat. There’s a good grocery store and even an airport with a dinghy dock there.

Lighthouse Beach, with its unique rock formations and lighthouse, is another beautiful place to explore. The large sandy beach of French Heave Beach is set against a lush green backdrop. Don’t forget to visit the Leon Levy Native Preserve if you’re looking for some greenery. This nature preserve provides a rare peek into the island’s natural habitat, which includes uncommon tropical birds and other wildlife. Furthermore, docking locations are only a short distance away.

Harbour Island

The vast pink sand beaches that span along the island’s eastern shore are the island’s most famous feature. Within Dunmore Town, the original capital of the Bahamas, the island is 3 1/2 miles long with around 2,000 residents, a pink sanded shoreline, wonderful beach-side restaurants, and pastel-painted houses. Consider visiting the coral reefs to see unique marine life such as stingrays and turtles as well as relaxing on the pink long beach. Note that the Devil’s Backbone, a shallow and jagged-edge reef, is one of the best reefs to see on the island.

Berry Islands

Because most of the cays remain undeveloped and deserted, these gorgeous islands are the perfect destination to visit if you’re searching for peace and quiet. The only population centers, if you can call them that, are on the northern end at Chub Cay and Great Harbour Cay. In fact, the chain is made up of just under 30 small islands, providing sailors with lots of possibilities to choose a peaceful area to anchor and take in the beauty. Marinas on the islands are built to accommodate vessels with deep drafts. That implies you won’t run aground and ruin your keel if you follow the charts exactly. Because there are several shallow reefs on the islands, you’ll have to be cautious when sailing around them.

The Great Bahama Bank runs along the west side of the chain, while the Northwest and Northeast Providence waterways run along the north and east sides. The area charms visitors with a selection of peaceful anchorages on the islands’ lee sides, as well as excellent fishing and snorkeling. In inclement weather, the east and south sides of the islands can be extremely choppy. So, it is advisable to avoid specific anchorages.

Great Harbour Cay

The North Berry Islands chain, which includes Great Harbour Cay, is regarded as one of The Bahamas’ best-kept secrets. The island is about 7 miles long and has a population of only a few hundred people. The Berry Islands are a 32-mile-long chain of 30 major cays and countless lesser cays that form a stirrup shape. Sugar Beach is the island’s most famous feature, with caverns, cliffs, and, of course, incredibly soft white sand. The beach is nestled amongst rock formations and ruins, with numerous caverns to explore. Check out Bertram’s Cove at Great Stirrup Cay when leaving the island for the mainland to see a shipwreck right off the coast.

>>Also Read: Best Sailing Destinations in the Caribbean

The Far Out Islands

Consider checking out some of the islands that are off the usual path if you’re seeking some adventure and are a capable and self-sufficient cruiser. Some of these islands, including Cat Island, Long Island, Conception Island, and Rum Cay, are only a day’s sail away, while others, like Crooked and Acklins Islands, Mayaguana, Great Inagua, and the Ragged Islands, are considerably further away. These are the holy grail of off-the-beaten-path cruising in the Bahamas. In a sea of surreal tropic-blue oceans, tiny distant islets! You can be nearly completely out of sight of land, but in just 10 feet of water as far as your eyes can see.