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The Exuma Cays chain runs 120 nautical miles south of Nassau through 365 cays from Highbourne in the north to Great Exuma at George Town in the south. The working charter spine covers approximately 60 nautical miles from Highbourne to Black Point, with the standing stops at Norman's Cay, Shroud Cay, Warderick Wells (the Exuma Park headquarters), Staniel Cay, Big Major Spot, and Compass Cay. A 40m motor yacht working the Exumas in February runs $135,000 to $180,000 per week before APA. Nassau is the working boarding base (35 nautical miles north of Highbourne via Atlantis Marina or Albany) and the Lynden Pindling airport handles direct lift from the US East Coast, London, and Toronto.
The point of the Exumas is the water. The seabed sits at 3 to 8 metres across most of the western Exuma Banks, the bottom is white sand with seagrass patches, and the water reads as a clean turquoise rather than the deep blue of the Caribbean charter ground. No other Atlantic charter destination delivers the same swimming product at the same density. The cay-to-cay passages average 5 to 15 nautical miles, the trade winds run northeast at 12 to 18 knots through the peak season, and the protected lee anchorages on the west side of the cays absorb the prevailing breeze cleanly. The yacht is the trip in the Exumas because the on-shore product is small (Staniel Cay holds 75 residents and three restaurants; Compass Cay holds a single dock; Warderick Wells holds a ranger station and a 22-mooring field) and the entire week sits at anchor.
The Exumas are also the cleanest entry-level Caribbean charter ground for a US-based client wanting deep-quality swimming without an open-ocean crossing. The Nassau changeover absorbs cleanly, the cruising structure rewards 30m to 60m motor yachts and shallow-draft catamarans, and the on-shore visa and customs paperwork runs lighter than the Eastern Caribbean equivalents.
When to charter the Exumas
December 15 to January 5. Christmas and New Year peak. Water 24 degrees Celsius. Northeast trade winds 12 to 18 knots. The Exuma chain absorbs 60 to 80 yachts at Highbourne, Norman's, Staniel, and Compass across the week. Park mooring balls at peak utilisation (book the park reservation 60 to 90 days out). Rates at peak; book 9 to 12 months out.
January. Shoulder through January 15 (rates 10 to 15 percent below peak), returns to peak from January 20. Water 23 to 24 degrees. The cold-front passage risk window peaks in January with 1 to 2 events per month; charter weeks build a weather window day into the rotation.
February. Peak. Water 23 to 24 degrees. The cold-front risk tapers from mid-month. The strongest two-month window for an Exumas charter is the second half of February through the first half of March, with the water warming and the cold-front risk dropping to 0 to 1 per month.
March. Peak through to Easter. Water 24 to 25 degrees. The Park mooring balls absorb at moderate density. The Family Island Regatta calendar at George Town runs in the final week of April and absorbs the southern Exumas inventory at that window.
April. Peak through Easter, shoulder from the week after Easter. Water 25 to 26 degrees. Trade winds tapering through April 15. The cleanest charter window for water temperature.
May. Shoulder. Rates 25 to 35 percent below peak. Water 26 to 27 degrees. The charter fleet begins repositioning. Weather window holds through May 25 and the hurricane season risk opens June 1.
June to November. Hurricane season. Most crewed charter inventory closes the Exumas at this window.
The Exumas cruising zones
Highbourne Cay. 35 nautical miles south of Nassau. Private cay with a small marina (limited charter slips) and the standing first-day anchor on a northbound rotation. The west-side anchor in 3 to 5 metres holds the standard swim. The Highbourne reef on the east side carries the working fishing ground.
Allen's Cay and the rock iguanas. 3 nautical miles north of Highbourne. The endemic Allen's Cay rock iguana (Cyclura cychlura inornata) population sits at approximately 500 individuals across two small cays, with the working photo anchor at Leaf Cay. The iguanas are protected; no feeding without the captain's protocol.
Norman's Cay. 5 nautical miles south of Highbourne. The Norman's Cay Beach Club (rebuilt 2018 after the previous Carlos Lehder-era era ended) holds the dinner anchor and the working bar calendar. MacDuff's at Norman's Cay holds the alternative working dinner with the on-shore terrace and the small beach absorbing 50 to 80 yacht-derived diners on peak nights. The Curtiss C-46 (the abandoned cocaine-running plane crashed in 1980, lying in 3 metres of water at the south end of Norman's) is the standing morning snorkel.
Shroud Cay. 8 nautical miles south of Norman's. Inside the Exuma Land and Sea Park. The Shroud Cay creek system runs tidal mangrove creeks west to east across the cay and the canonical northern Exumas tender excursion runs the inner creek to the east-side beach at Camp Driftwood. The Driftwood site sits on the highest point of Shroud and the swim off the east-side beach carries the working currents at the creek mouth. Park mooring balls only; no anchoring on the cay.
Warderick Wells. 14 nautical miles south of Shroud. Park headquarters. The Boo Boo Hill memorial site (a 200 metre walk from the anchor with the cay-side cairn of yacht names painted on driftwood) is the canonical Park morning excursion. 22 mooring balls absorb the working overnight inside the Park. The Pirates Lair anchor on the south side of Warderick holds an unmoored alternative.
Cambridge Cay. 5 nautical miles south of Warderick. Inside the Park. Mooring field at the north end with 8 balls, the Sea Aquarium (the canonical Park snorkel site) sits at the cay's west side, and the swim runs over the coral with the 3 to 4 metre water clarity.
Conch Cut and Compass Cay. 8 nautical miles south of Cambridge. The southern park boundary at Conch Cut, then Compass Cay 2 nautical miles south. Compass holds the single dock (12 slips to 100 feet, $5 per foot per night), the nurse-shark site (approximately 12 to 18 Ginglymostoma cirratum at the dock, swim from the platform), and the Crossroads bar on the dock. The Compass Cay Beach (north end of the cay) absorbs the working morning swim.
Staniel Cay and Big Major. 4 nautical miles south of Compass. Staniel holds the Yacht Club (transient slips and the bar calendar), the Pink Pearl resort, and the small village (75 residents). Big Major Spot sits 2 nautical miles north of Staniel and holds the swimming pigs anchor. Thunderball Grotto (the limestone cave from the 1965 James Bond film) sits between Staniel and Big Major in 6 metres of water; the snorkel runs at low tide between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. when the cave entrances open.
Black Point and the southern Exumas. 6 nautical miles south of Staniel. Black Point Settlement (300 residents, Lorraine's Cafe for the working lunch). The southern spine continues to George Town 60 nautical miles south at Great Exuma; most 7-day weeks turn at Black Point and run back north to Nassau.
A standard 7-day Exumas circular week
| Day | Anchorage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Sat | Nassau board (Atlantis or Albany) | Boarding afternoon, run to Highbourne or Norman's, overnight northern Exumas |
| Sun | Highbourne and Allen's Cay | Allen's iguanas morning, Highbourne beach lunch, Norman's afternoon, dinner Norman's Beach Club overnight |
| Mon | Shroud Cay creek | C-46 plane wreck morning snorkel at Norman's, run to Shroud, creek tender excursion afternoon, overnight Shroud mooring |
| Tue | Warderick Wells | Run to Warderick, Boo Boo Hill morning, Park headquarters visit, Sea Aquarium at Cambridge afternoon, overnight Cambridge |
| Wed | Compass Cay and Staniel | Compass Cay nurse-shark swim morning, run to Big Major for the swimming pigs photo, Thunderball Grotto at low tide, dinner Staniel Yacht Club overnight |
| Thu | Black Point or repeat Compass | Lorraine's at Black Point lunch, swim at Tropic of Cancer beach (south end of Little Exuma), return north to Compass or Staniel overnight |
| Fri | Northern run to Nassau | Final swim at Shroud or Norman's, run back to Nassau afternoon, overnight Atlantis or Albany |
| Sat | Nassau disembark | Disembarkation morning |
This is the canonical Exumas week. It works on 25m to 60m motor yachts cleanly. The Park mooring balls tighten at standoff above 40m and the Compass Cay marina caps at 30m LOA at the inner slip.
Exumas yacht size guidance
20m to 35m. The clean fit. The Park mooring inventory absorbs at this size, Compass Cay marina takes the LOA cleanly, Staniel Yacht Club slips accept at the working transient inventory, and Thunderball Grotto runs without size compromise. Shallow-draft catamarans (24m to 30m) and shallow-draft motor yachts run the strongest market share at this size in the Exumas.
35m to 50m. Workable. Park mooring balls absorb at the outer field at Warderick, Cambridge, and Hawksbill. Compass and Staniel shift to standoff anchor with the tender absorbing the on-shore product. Big Major and the swimming pigs anchor direct in 3 to 5 metres.
50m to 70m. Workable at the Exuma Banks west-side anchors but the Park mooring balls cap at 50m and the deeper-draft yachts shift to the Exuma Sound east side for overnight. Compass Cay marina inaccessible at this size; the nurse-shark swim runs via tender from the standoff anchor. Atlantis Marina and Albany absorb the Nassau end.
70m and above. The Exumas absorb at the Exuma Sound east-side deep-water positions. The west-side Exuma Banks anchorages tighten at standoff. Most 70m+ Exumas weeks run as a 3 to 4 day window inside a 10-day Bahamas rotation that boards or disembarks at Albany. The Park mooring inventory caps and the working overnight runs at Norman's or south of Compass at unmoored anchorages.
Exumas charter cost math
| Line item | Range (40m motor yacht, February peak) |
|---|---|
| Weekly rate | $135K to $180K |
| APA (28% to 32%) | $38K to $58K |
| Bahamas charter tax (10% of charter fee) | $14K to $18K |
| Bahamas cruising permit (per yacht) | $1K to $3K |
| Exuma Park fees (per vessel per day, $0.10 per foot LOA per night) | $0.2K to $0.4K |
| Park mooring balls (per night, $25 to $50 per ball) | $0.05K to $0.1K |
| Compass Cay marina ($5 per foot per night, 130 foot yacht) | $0.65K to $0.8K per night if applicable |
| Staniel Yacht Club marina (transient, $3 to $4 per foot per night) | $0.4K to $0.5K per night if applicable |
| Restaurant ashore at Norman's, Staniel, or Black Point (per visit) | $0.3K to $0.7K |
| Gratuity (10% to 15%) | $14K to $27K |
| Full check | $205K to $290K |
The Park fees apply per night anchored or moored inside the park boundary; the cruising permit applies once per charter. APA on an Exumas week runs 28 to 32 percent with the moderate daily passage distances. The full check against an equivalent Mediterranean week sits at roughly 70 percent in dollar terms.
What we passed on
We pass on the swimming pigs at Big Major after 10 a.m. The anchor absorbs 30 to 50 day-tripper boats from Staniel between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and the working swim runs at functional density only. Take Big Major at the 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. rotation from a Compass Cay overnight and treat the pigs as a 30-minute morning stop, not a destination anchor.
We pass on Thunderball Grotto on any tide other than dead low. The cave entrance sits at 30 to 60 centimetres of clearance at low tide; at any other state the entrance closes and the snorkel runs as an external swim only. The captain holds the tide-table window and the working swim runs in a 90-minute window twice daily.
We pass on Compass Cay marina as the working overnight base for a 40m+ yacht. The inner dock takes 100 foot maximum LOA, the slip charge runs $5 per foot per night, and the standing alternative is the standoff anchor north of Compass at the Joe Cay anchorage with the nurse-shark swim running via tender. The marina works for 25m to 30m crewed yachts and catamarans; above that the anchor is the cleaner answer.
We pass on the Tropic of Cancer beach at Little Exuma as a 7-day week destination. The southern run from Staniel to the Tropic of Cancer beach (Pelican Beach at the south end of Little Exuma) runs 50 nautical miles each way and the working swim absorbs 3 to 4 hours; the round-trip absorbs a full day. Build it in only on a 10 to 14 day Exumas rotation; skip it on a 7-day week.
We pass on the southern Exumas extension to George Town on a 7-day week. The 60 nautical mile run south from Staniel to George Town absorbs a full sea day and the working southern product (the Tropic of Cancer beach, the Stocking Island Chat 'N' Chill, the working Great Exuma airport at George Town as the alternative changeover) requires a 10 to 14 day window. The 7-day charter ends at Black Point or Staniel.
Multi-region pairings
The Nassau-Exumas-Abacos 10 to 14 day Bahamas-only rotation runs the central Exumas south to Black Point and then north 200 nautical miles to Marsh Harbour and the Abacos. The structure absorbs the full Bahamas charter inventory and works on 40m+ motor yachts with the captain managing the long northern passage. We cover the Abacos on the Abacos page.
The Florida-Exumas-Florida one-way (Fort Lauderdale or Miami board, Exumas rotation, return Bimini or direct Florida disembark) works as an 8 to 10 day charter with the captain handling the Gulf Stream crossing at both ends. The structure delivers the full Exumas product to clients boarding directly from the US East Coast.
The Exumas as a 5-day window inside a 10-day Bahamas rotation that adds the southern George Town anchors, the Long Island swim, and the Cat Island spine. This is the working long-form Bahamas charter and the structure that absorbs an 80m+ yacht cleanly.
The cross-pillar question (villa or charter)
The Exumas villa inventory is small. The private cays (Musha Cay, Over Yonder Cay, the Norman's Cay private estates) run $50K to $400K per week at the high end and the public-island inventory (Staniel residences, Black Point bungalows, the Embrace Resort at Staniel) runs $1K to $5K per night. For clients who want the Exumas swimming product without the seven-night charter, a fly-in to Staniel (Staniel Cay airport, the small grass strip, direct charter flights from Nassau and Fort Lauderdale) plus a private-island villa or the Pink Pearl resort plus day charters from the Staniel marina works at $3K to $12K per day. The charter is the cleaner answer for the full cay-to-cay rotation; the villa is the cleaner answer for a Staniel-only base.
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers Musha Cay, Over Yonder Cay, the Norman's Cay private estates, and the Staniel Cay residences. HotelsForKings covers the Pink Pearl Staniel, the Embrace Resort at Staniel, the Compass Cay cottages, and the Norman's Cay rebuild. RestaurantsForKings covers the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, MacDuff's at Norman's, the Norman's Cay Beach Club, the Pink Pearl restaurant, and Lorraine's Cafe at Black Point. BarsForKings covers the Compass Cay Crossroads dock bar, the Staniel marina-side calendar, and the Norman's Beach Club.
FAQ
What size yacht works best in the Exumas? 30m to 50m motor yacht or 24m to 30m crewed catamaran. The Park mooring inventory, Compass Cay marina, and Staniel Yacht Club absorb at this size. Above 60m the structure shifts to standoff anchor with the tender absorbing the on-shore product.
When is the Exumas at its best? The second half of February through the first half of March. Water 24 degrees, cold-front risk dropping, full restaurant calendar at Staniel and Norman's, Park mooring inventory at moderate density.
Are the swimming pigs at Big Major safe? Yes, with the captain's protocol. The pigs are feral, self-sustaining, and protected. The morning rotation before 10 a.m. runs cleanly without the day-tripper density and the working swim absorbs 30 to 45 minutes.
Do you need a permit for the Exuma Land and Sea Park? Yes. The Bahamas cruising permit covers the entry; the per-vessel per-night Park fee applies inside the boundary at approximately $0.10 per foot LOA per night. Mooring balls run $25 to $50 per night. The captain handles the paperwork at the Warderick Wells headquarters.
Can I run the full Exumas chain to George Town in a week? No. The 60 nautical mile run from Staniel south to George Town adds a full sea day each way. A 7-day charter turns at Compass Cay or Black Point. A 10 to 14 day charter delivers the full chain.