Sample Itinerary · Exumas Chain

The Exumas Explorer

9 days · 8 nights · George Town to Nassau · Fully crewed private catamaran

9 Days Aboard
8 Nights at Anchor
7+ Anchorages
~100 Nautical Miles
About This Itinerary

The Classic Exumas Run

This sample itinerary traces the legendary Exumas chain — 365 cays stretching 90 miles through some of the clearest water on earth. You'll start in George Town (Exuma's vibrant main hub), sail north through a string of jaw-dropping anchorages, and make the beautiful passage back to Nassau on Day 8.

Every day is shaped by tides, weather, and what you feel like doing. This itinerary is a starting point, not a contract — your captain adapts it in real time to give you the best experience possible. Some highlights are tide-dependent (noted below), which is part of what makes sailing the Bahamas a genuine adventure.

George
Town
Rat Cay
Rudder
Cut
Staniel
Cay ⭐
Wardwick
Wells
Shroud
Cay
Flex
Day
Nassau
Day by Day

Your Journey

Day 1
📍 George Town, Exuma

Arrive & Explore George Town

Board the boat, stock up on provisions, and find your sea legs. A relaxed afternoon to explore one of the liveliest and most beautiful towns in the Bahamas.

🧳 1pm — Meet at Exuma Market, transfer luggage to the boat
🛒 2pm — Return to Exuma Market for provisions and groceries
🍽️ 6pm — Dinner ashore: Baymahni Resort or Snappy Turtle
Day 2
⚓ Rat Cay Area

First Sail North — Truck Wreck & Blow Hole

Your first proper sailing day. Head north and drop into your first snorkel of the trip — a sunken truck that's become a stunning living reef, surrounded by fish.

⛵ Depart 7am · approximately 4 hours
🤿 Snorkel the Truck Wreck — a unique artificial reef teeming with tropical fish and coral
🌊 The Blow Hole High Tide Only — a dramatic natural rock feature that shoots seawater into the air
Time and tides permitting: move north to Lee Stocking Island anchorage for the night
Day 3
⚓ Rudder Cut · Musha Cay Area

Sandbars, Caves & The Musician

A day of tide-dependent wonders. Two world-class snorkel sites and some of the most jaw-dropping sandbars in the Bahamas — all on the same day.

⛵ Depart 7am · approximately 3 hours
🤿 Snorkel The Musician Slack Tide — a beautiful underwater coral formation unique to this cut
🤿 Snorkel The Caves Slack Tide — dramatic underwater caverns with extraordinary visibility
🏖️ Musha Sandbar Low Tide — a white sand bar that emerges from the sea like magic
🏖️ Galliot Cut Sandbar Low Tide — another spectacular bar, perfect for a swim and a wander
Rising / high tide: move to Musha Cay or Cave Cay anchorage for the night
Day 4
⭐ Staniel Cay — The Highlight

Swimming Pigs, Thunderball Grotto & Sharks

The crown jewel of the Exumas. This is the day most guests dream about — three bucket-list experiences in one glorious afternoon, topped off with dinner at one of the most storied yacht clubs in the islands.

⛵ Depart 7am · approximately 5 hours
🤿 Thunderball Grotto ★ Bucket List — the famous underwater cavern filmed in two James Bond movies. Snorkel through its arched entrance into a cathedral of coral and light. Best at slack tide.
🐷 Pig Beach, Big Major's Spot ★ Bucket List — swim alongside the world-famous Bahamian swimming pigs in their natural habitat
🦈 Nurse sharks at the Staniel Cay dock — an only-in-the-Bahamas experience, completely safe and absolutely wild
🍽️ Dinner at Staniel Cay Yacht Club — a Bahamian institution since 1956. Fresh seafood, cold Kaliks, sailors from around the world
Day 5
⚓ Wardwick Wells · Exuma Land & Sea Park

The Marine Park & Boo Boo Hill Sunset

Enter the Exuma Land and Sea Park — one of the first marine protected areas in the world. Because fishing is prohibited, the reefs here are extraordinary. Finish the day with a Bahamian sailing ritual.

⛵ Depart 7am · approximately 4 hours
🤿 Snorkel Wardwick Wells — pristine protected reef with exceptional clarity and an abundance of marine life untouched by fishing
🌄 Sunset hike to Boo Boo Hill — a tradition among Bahamas sailors: carve your boat name on a piece of driftwood and leave it at the summit. Stunning 360° sunset views over the park.
Day 6
⚓ Shroud Cay

Mangrove Creek & The Washing Machine

One of the most unique anchorages in the Bahamas — a wild, completely uninhabited island with an extraordinary tidal creek you can float through, and a natural tidal feature that literally spins you around.

⛵ Depart 7am · approximately 2 hours
🌿 Mangrove Creek High Tide — paddle or simply drift through a winding, cathedral-like mangrove waterway that deposits you at a hilltop with panoramic ocean views on both sides
🌊 The Washing Machine — a tidal cut with strong currents that create natural whirlpools. Exhilarating and completely safe with your captain's local knowledge.
Day 7
🔓 Flex Day — Weather & Whims

Wild Cards & Hidden Gems

Every Bahamas itinerary builds in a free day — for weather, for doing more of yesterday, or for something completely unexpected. A few nearby wild cards, depending on where you're anchored:

✈️ Norman's Cay plane wreck — a notorious drug-runner's Curtiss C-46 sits visible in the shallows, photographable from aboard and snorkelable from below
🦎 Allan Cay — Rock Iguanas — a protected cay inhabited by prehistoric Bahamian rock iguanas. They'll walk right up to you.
🏖️ Long Cay South Sandbar — a long, wide sandbar stretching into brilliantly clear water. Zero people, infinite sky.
Day 8
📍 Nassau, New Providence

The Final Sail — Back to Nassau

An early start for the longest sail of the trip — a beautiful 6–8 hour ocean passage back to Nassau. Arrive in the afternoon, freshen up, and head ashore for one last dinner in the city.

⛵ Depart 7am · 6–8 hour passage to Nassau
Day 9
🏁 Nassau — Departure

Until Next Time

Disembark at 10am. Your captain can arrange airport transfers on request. And somewhere over the Atlantic on the way home, you'll already be planning the next one.

10am — Disembark. Airport transfers to Nassau Lynden Pindling International Airport available on request.
On Every Charter

What's Included

Professional Captain

USCG-licensed. Handles all navigation, sailing, and safety — and knows every anchorage intimately.

🍳

Breakfast & Lunch

European-style breakfast and fresh light lunch prepared daily. Dinner is ashore or via private chef add-on.

🤿

Water Toys

Snorkel gear for all guests, paddleboards, floating mats, and a dinghy for shore excursions.

🗺️

Fully Customisable

This is a sample — every charter is tailored around your group, your pace, and your preferred dates.

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Make This Your Trip

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