Exploring the Abaco’s in the Bahamas by catamaran is nothing short of spectacular. LTD Sailing’s flotilla from February 16-23, 2025, took us on an incredible journey through crystal-clear waters, vibrant marine life, and charming Bahamian settlements.
Why “Love Afloat”?
Even though our trip was shortly after Valentine’s Day we didn’t name it with that in mind. In February 2005, Chrystal was invited to go sailing in the Bahamas with her new boyfriend, Chris. They had only been dating a short time but Chrystal didn’t want to pass up an amazing opportunity, even if they were planning 6 months in advance. She bought the flights and thought “no matter what, I am going sailing in the Bahamas!” It is safe to say they had a fantastic adventure since they were able to return on this trip, 20 years later, still together, still in love! And yes, I am talking about the LTD School owners, Chris and Chrystal.
Here’s a look back at our week of adventure, great food, and unforgettable experiences.
Day 0: Arrival in Marsh Harbor
Our crew arrived in Marsh Harbor, ready to kick off an amazing week. We had three boats total, three LTD skippers on board to help guide our adventures and 21 of our friends and alumni joining us.
Half of our team headed to the marina to start the chart briefing while the other half got to explore Maxwell’s grocery store—just five minutes from the marina and had everything we needed. They don’t sell alcohol in the store so we did have to make one extra stop, to make sure we had libations for the week! Arriving on a Sunday was a but tricky as most places closed early, but we got it done. This ain’t our first rodeo! The only thing we weren’t able to get is large 5 gallon water jugs that we can usually find at a store near a marina, but we would improvise.
Everyone headed to the marina restaurant and bar for dinner. It was quite pricey but amazing service, delicious cocktails and the food was great. If anything, go for the desserts!
Day 1: Marsh Harbor to Great Guana Cay (12 NM)
The first day of charter can always be a little hectic, or maybe it feels that way when you are in charge of three boats? The captains signed off on their boat briefing and we were able to arrange water delivery (5 gallon jugs) with the help of the team at the Sunsail base. We always try to limit our single use plastic consumption.
Per our usual flotilla standards, we started the first day off with a mimosa toast on the lead boat where everyone got to introduce themselves and get acquainted. Then we cast off the bow lines and headed for the open seas!
Our first stop, and only mooring ball of the week, was at Great Guana Cay. We secured a mooring ball with Tom from Dive Guana, who provided an extensive briefing of the area. After a “We’re here!” cheers, we went ashore for some exploration, and hunting for the best cocktail on land, like a good pirate would. Every bar we went to had a slushy machine cranking out very strong, very delicious frozen rum punch… quite dangerous I would say!
Highlights:
- Nippers – A lively bar with a gorgeous rooftop view, stairs leading to the beach, and excellent food (the bacon blue burger and lobster quesadilla were amongst the favorites!). There was also a pool and three different level decks to hang out on. We got a great sunset view.
- Grabbers – A relaxed spot with great drinks, and according to one couple on our trip, amazing mac and cheese (I didn’t get a chance to try it, so I will have to go back and check it out, for research purposes). They had beach games, a pool and water sports activities. We arrived a little later in the night but it would’ve been a great place to have lunch and relax. The food looked great, the bartenders were so fun and of course, dangerous, delicious cocktails!
- Kidd’s Cove – This looked like a fun spot, blasting Tom Petty, that we didn’t get a chance to check out. It was open pretty late even though the town felt very sleepy.
Day 2: Great Guana Cay to Manjack Cay (18.5 NM)
The next morning we headed back to shore to grab a few items from the local grocery store. This was an adventure as there were no prices on anything. And guess what… Prices were steep! Two bags of groceries cost $300! We did, however, find Amy’s homemade corn salsa, which was a great find! Worth it! Next, we released the mooring ball and had a long, relaxing sail to Manjack Cay.
Activities:
- Mangrove Exploration – We jumped in the dinghy and started down a long river through the mangroves. Low tide made for a tricky passage, requiring us to lift the engine and wade through at times but we saw so many turtles and rays!
- Hiking – The next morning, we pulled up anchor and moved to an anchorage nearby to check out the hiking trails. The two trails are marked on Google Maps and lead to a scenic picnic area and open-ocean beach. This would be a great lunch spot!
- Shark Feeding – There were a few tour boats coming from one of the resorts and we watched as they were chumming the waters for nurse and lemon sharks. Our own attempt (using ham) wasn’t as successful. I would highly recommend bringing something along if you want a glimpse of these gentle creatures.
- Floaty Animal Parade – Once we were done exploring we had our infamous Floaty Animal Parade! We encouraged everyone to bring a fun floaty animal and we were pulled around the anchorage. A fun way to relax in the water before enjoying cheeseburgers for dinner. If you have joined us for a trip, you know we always have “Cheeseburgers in Paradise”!
Day 3: Manjack Cay to Green Turtle Cay (5.2 NM)
A quick afternoon to sail to Green Turtle Cay to anchor for the night. We arrived on a Wednesday and it turns out it may not be the best day to visit as power grid maintenance led to some places only accepting cash or being closed. You could easily spend a whole day exploring this quiet beach town but we didn’t get to shore until later in the day, since we made the stop at the hiking beach. There were cute souvenir shops, stores with local flare and a few spots for reprovisioning. I would recommend spending the whole afternoon checking it out and getting to Pineapples for Happy Hour!
Exploring New Plymouth:
- Pineapples Bar – A fantastic spot with a pool, strong drinks, and good snacks- the french fries, omg!
- The Wrecking Tree – We had a fabulous dinner with great service here. We were a large group that they took in last minute and accommodated us. A lot of unique items on the menu, and very interesting drinks!
- Albert Lowe Museum – Closed during our visit but would have loved to check it out (maybe we will have to go back soon?)
Day 4: Green Turtle Cay to No Name Cay to Hope Town (26.9 NM)
An easy morning sail brought us to No Name Cay, home to the famous swimming pigs! Located at Big O’s Bar and Restaurant, we fed the piggies (with caution—they do bite!) and enjoyed fresh conch ceviche made right in front of us on the dock. Big O’s has a gift shop, full bar with great cocktails and lunch and dinner menu. I think it would’ve made for a great place to spend the whole day. They had a few beach games available to play and I think the pigs enjoyed some play time too. The beach is full of soft sand and is very walkable.
Later in the afternoon, we took off and headed for Hope Town. We attempted to dock at the Hope Town Inn and Marina but found limited availability for charter boats. This is a pretty popular spot and they seem to give people who are staying a while the dock space. It worked out great to anchor right outside the protected inlet, the water in the Abaco’s is so shallow and sandy, it’s pretty easy to anchor anywhere. We were able to easily dinghy to town.
Exploring Hope Town:
- Elbow Reef Lighthouse – A must-visit with stunning views. Free to go inside and a great way to stretch your sea legs. There is a gift shop at the bottom and a few other stores next to the dinghy dock.
- Cap’n Jack’s – The only place we found that was open for dinner, and we happened to come on trivia night! One of our teams took home the big prize. Dinner and drinks were great on the patio.
Day 5: Hope Town to Man O War Cay (5.6 NM)
A short sail planned allowed for breakfast and exploring on shore. We were able to check out the gorgeous town with adorable houses and roads only made for golf carts. The contrast of the pale candy colored houses and bright hibiscus flowers were so picturesque. Everyone was friendly and there were plenty of gift shops to check out. We tried to get the fresh Key Lime pie from Vernon’s, the local grocery store, but watched the last one get bought right as we were walking in. Guess we will have to go back and make sure we get there earlier?
We pulled up anchor and headed out to Man O War Cay. A very quiet anchorage and village.
Activities:
- Snorkeling and exploring the shoreline.
- We had planned to visit Pete’s Pub and Gallery in Little Harbor but didn’t coordinate our timing well enough to make it. It was highly recommended. I guess we will have to go back soon to check it out.
Day 6: Man O War Cay to Tahiti Beach (7.1 NM)
We kicked off the day heading to shore for breakfast at a delightful coffee shop and the Man O War Cay Heritage museum. We enjoyed locally made pastries, quiche and coffee in a beautiful garden setting. The walk from the anchorage to the town was about 20 minutes. You can also coordinate a golf cart if you want to live like the locals. One more stop for provisioning (there are never enough chips), and then we set sail for Tahiti Beach to meet up with some of our alumni who were also in the Bahamas and had started living the dream on their own boat. It came full circle and we loved to see it!
Highlights:
- Anchoring near the extended beach – Featuring fun water swings, perfect for a beach day, picnic or sunset watching.
- Snorkeling – There was a large turtle who was poking his head around each of our boats, it was so fun to watch!
- Beach Bar Crawl – Half of the group explored the lively bars and restaurants ashore. They did a “rum punch tour” and still managed to meet everyone for dinner and games for our last night! We played a game where everyone wrote down a fun fact about themselves and we had to guess who it was. This got totally crazy and was so much fun!
Day 7: Tahiti Beach Back to the Marsh Harbour Marina (5 NM)
An early start to the day as we needed to be back to the marina before 10am. We had our coffee and tea and started to pack up. It’s always bitter sweet when our trips come to an end but can’t help get excited for a shower on shore!
Final Thoughts & Tips:
If you are thinking about a bareboat charter in the Abaco’s, here are some extra notes that we made along the way.
- Costs – The Bahamas are expensive! Maxwell’s had the best provisioning prices so get what you can at the beginning of the week. We also brought some things from the states to off set some of the costs. If you are interested, make sure you check out the guidelines for what you can bring into the country!
- Food & Drinks – Many restaurants were comparable to tourist prices. The marina restaurant was the most expensive meals we had during the week. Nippers and Grabbers is a taxi ride down the road, it would’ve been a good idea to head there instead. We also heard the Sunday’s at Nippers was the place to be! It was great that the US dollar and Bahamian dollar were equal, to not worry about conversions or having local currency was great!
- Wildlife Encounters – Bring chum for shark sightings at Great Guana!
- Camera Gear – A GoPro for underwater shots is a game-changer.
Our Bahamas flotilla was an unforgettable adventure filled with incredible sailing, breathtaking scenery, and wonderful company.
If you are interested in being apart of our next flotilla, email [email protected]
