Bahamas · The northern islands
The northern sailing ground: Hope Town’s lighthouse and the Sea of Abaco
The Abacos are a hundred and twenty miles of cays in the north of the Bahamas with a flat, sheltered sea behind them, Hope Town’s candy-striped lighthouse, Nippers on the dune at Great Guana, and the New England feel of the Loyalist villages. A different week from the Exumas, and a different boat usually.
Where
Northern Bahamas, 100 nm north of Nassau
Fly to
Marsh Harbour (MHH) from Florida and Nassau
Best months
December to April; the Abacos are cooler than the Exumas
Give it
A week of its own
Known for
Hope Town, Nippers, Green Turtle Cay, the Sea of Abaco
Water
Flat behind the cays; the Atlantic beaches on the other side
Why go
The Abacos, honestly
The Abacos are the Bahamas’ other sailing ground, and a different place from the Exumas. The cays sit along the outside of Great Abaco with the Sea of Abaco between, shallow and flat, so the sailing is easy and the anchorages are an hour apart. The villages are Loyalist, settled by Americans who stayed British after 1783, with clapboard houses, picket fences and a New England feel under the palms.
Hope Town on Elbow Cay has the candy-striped lighthouse, the last kerosene-lit one in the world, and a harbour you moor in the middle of. Great Guana has Nippers, the bar on the dune with the Sunday pig roast and the Atlantic beach below. Green Turtle Cay has New Plymouth, the Goombay Smash where it was invented, and Treasure Cay’s three miles of beach across the water.
We run it as a week from Marsh Harbour, which has its own airport with flights from Florida. It is not joined to the Exumas in one week; a day of open water separates them, and they suit different groups. The Abacos are for people who want to sail.
Where we anchor
The anchorages, in the order we use them
- Hope Town, Elbow CayMooring, overnightInside the harbour under the lighthouse. The prettiest night in the Abacos.
- Marsh HarbourMarina, boardingThe base and the airport, twenty minutes apart.
- Great Guana CayAnchorageFisher’s Bay or the settlement harbour, with Nippers up the dune.
- Green Turtle Cay, White SoundAnchorageThe protected sound at the northern end, with New Plymouth round the corner.
- Treasure CayDay stopThree miles of beach across from Green Turtle, with the marina behind it.
Ashore
The Abacos off the boat
Not a directory. If it is here, we have sat at the table or stood at the bar.
Eat
Harbour-front dinners and a Sunday pig roast.
Firefly, Elbow CaySunset dinner on the Sea of Abaco side of Hope Town.
Abaco InnOn the ridge of Elbow Cay with the Atlantic on one side and the sea on the other.
- Nippers’ Sunday pig roastGreat Guana’s dune bar, the Abacos’ institution.
Drink and dance
Beach bars with a view of the Atlantic.
- NippersOn the dune at Great Guana, the Atlantic below, frozen rum punch.
Pete’s Pub, Little HarbourA beach bar and bronze foundry at the southern end, Pete Johnston’s family place.
- Miss Emily’s Blue Bee BarNew Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay, where the Goombay Smash was invented.
Do
Sail, snorkel, climb the lighthouse.
Hope Town LighthouseA hundred and one steps up the candy-striped tower, lit by kerosene every night.
Sail the Sea of AbacoFlat water, steady breeze, an island an hour apart. The best sailing in the Bahamas.
- Snorkel Fowl Cay and Sandy CayThe reef parks off Great Guana and Little Harbour.
Where it sits
The Abacos on the chart
The Abacos sit a hundred miles north of Nassau and a day of open water from the Exumas. A week of their own from Marsh Harbour, not joined to the Exumas.
Drag to move. Double-click or ctrl-scroll to zoom.Zoom with the buttons, then drag to move.
When
When to be in The Abacos
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
- December to April: the season, a few degrees cooler than the Exumas. Northers pass through in January and February.
- Early July: Regatta Time in Abaco, the week of racing and parties, if you are here in summer.
- March and April: the best weeks, settled and warm.
- June to November: hot, hurricane season. Dorian in 2019 hit here hardest; the cays have rebuilt.
Itineraries
Itineraries that call at The Abacos
Full plans, day by day, with the boat each one runs on. Send one to the people coming with you; we reshape it around your yacht and dates.
Yachts
Yachts in the Bahamas now
The Sea of Abaco suits the sailing yachts and shallow-draft motor yachts in the fleet.
CORAL OCEAN
Lürssen · 73m · 1994, refit 2026
12 guests | 6 cabins | 28 crew
€650k – 790k
SWEET CAROLINE II
Trinity Yachts · 50m · 2009, refit 2021
12 guests | 7 cabins | 11 crew
$199k – 230k
NEVER ENOUGH
Feadship · 43m · 1992, refit 2019
10 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
$110k – 127k
OCEAN ROSE
Ocean Alexander · 26m · 2018
8 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
$43k
Akasha
Lagoon · 19m · 2018
8 guests | 2 crew
$45k
PIER PRESSURE
Azimut · 27m · 2020, refit 2024
10 guests | 5 cabins | 4 crew
$70k – 80k
MEMENTO VIVERE
Westport · 40m · 2005, refit 2021
10 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
$120k – 150k
NOMADA
Mochi Craft · 24m · 2010, refit 2025
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$50k – 55k
BG
Feadship · 47m · 1990, refit 2022
12 guests | 6 cabins | 10 crew
$149k – 170k
BUNDALONG
Sunreef Yachts · 24m · 2019
10 guests | 5 cabins
$82k
INSPIRATION
Benetti · 38m · 2017
10 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
$150k – 170k
PLAYTIME
Lagoon · 20m · 2018, refit 2021
6 guests | 3 cabins | 3 crew
$46k – 49k
Lady Joy
Christensen · 48m · 2007, refit 2025
12 guests | 6 cabins | 11 crew
$199k – 225k
OCEAN VIEW
Gulf Craft · 32m · 2022
12 guests | 5 cabins | 5 crew
€110k
CROSSED SABRE
Burger · 44m · 2006, refit 2021
12 guests | 7 cabins | 11 crew
$175k – 195k
LADY ELAINE
Christensen · 50m · 2008, refit 2024
12 guests | 6 cabins | 9 crew
$200k – 225k
KING OF FUN
Northern Marine · 40m · 2005, refit 2022
10 guests | 5 cabins | 8 crew
$120k – 138k
HAPPY HOUR
Horizon · 34m · 2018
11 guests | 5 cabins | 5 crew
$95k – 105k
CEDAR ISLAND
Lazzara · 34m · 2003, refit 2016
10 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$60k
MARY KATHLENE
Westport · 42m · 1989, refit 2023
8 guests | 4 cabins | 7 crew
$85k – 95k
Princess Mila
Fountaine Pajot · 20m · 2022
6 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
$45k – 49k
SeaQuest
Christensen · 38m · 1999, refit 2025
10 guests | 5 cabins | 6 crew
$85k – 98k
RELENTLESS
Trinity Yachts · 44m · 2001, refit 2019
10 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
$150k – 173k
LADY J
Palmer Johnson · 43m · 1997, refit 2021
12 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
€109k – 119k
TCB
Trinity Yachts · 50m · 2008, refit 2022
11 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
$175k – 200k
LEXINGTON
Horizon · 26m · 2006, refit 2024
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$40k – 46k
MIDORI
Sunreef Yachts · 21m · 2016, refit 2026
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$45k – 48k
CHANSON
Christensen · 37m · 1995, refit 2020
9 guests | 4 cabins | 6 crew
$75k – 85k
LADY GRACE
Westport · 28m · 1996, refit 2025
6 guests | 3 cabins | 4 crew
$35k – 40k
29 yachts in rotation. The order changes with every visit so no boat is always last.
Questions we get asked
The Abacos, answered
Common questions
How do we get to the Abacos?
Fly to Marsh Harbour from Florida or Nassau and board twenty minutes from the airport. The cays are an hour apart from there.
Can we combine the Abacos with the Exumas?
Not in a week. A day of open water separates them and they suit different groups: the Abacos for sailing and the villages, the Exumas for the water and the pigs. Two weeks can do both.
What is Nippers?
The beach bar on the dune at Great Guana Cay with the Atlantic beach below it, famous for the Sunday pig roast and frozen rum punch. The Abacos’ one institution.
Are the Abacos still recovering from Hurricane Dorian?
Dorian hit the Abacos in 2019 and the rebuilding has been long. Hope Town, Great Guana and Green Turtle are open and welcoming; Marsh Harbour has rebuilt its marinas. We will tell you honestly what is open when you book.
Want The Abacos in your week?
Tell us the dates and who is coming. We will say which nights to give it, which berth to hold, and whether the week you want is still open.