26°32'N 77°03'W · Bahamas
The Abacos Yacht Guide
The Sea of Abaco is 60 miles of protected water behind a barrier chain of cays, mostly 8 to 14 feet deep, and it remains the easiest multi-stop cruising ground within a day of Florida. Dorian flattened Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay in September 2019, and anyone telling you it is all back to normal has not walked Don MacKay Boulevard. The truth is more useful: the marinas, fuel, and restaurants that matter to a transient yacht are rebuilt and functioning, while the residential recovery is still uneven. Hope Town and Man-O-War came back faster than the mainland and are the polished stops on the circuit.
Season & Arrival
Prime season is November through May; winter cold fronts arrive every 5 to 7 days December through February with northerly blows of 25 to 30 knots that shut down Whale Cay Passage. Summer is hot, settled, and cheap, but you are inside the hurricane box and insurance underwriters know it. June and early July are the local sweet spot if your policy allows it.
The Guide
Marinas
Boat Harbour Marina at the Abaco Beach Resort in Marsh Harbour is the workhorse: rebuilt post-Dorian, roughly 180 slips, takes vessels to about 200 feet, and has the deepest approach on the mainland side at 8 feet MLW. Hope Town Inn and Marina across from the lighthouse runs about 50 slips with 6 feet at the entrance bar at low water, so time your entry on the tide if you draw more than 5. Treasure Cay Marina was destroyed and the rebuild has moved in stops and starts; check status before promising guests that stop. Man-O-War Marina is small, Protestant-dry, and immaculate, a good hurricane-conscious harbor with strong holding. Green Turtle Cay offers Bluff House and the Green Turtle Club in White Sound, 5.5 feet on the entrance channel. Book Christmas through Easter at Boat Harbour at least 6 weeks out.
Operating Data
- Boat Harbour Marina
- ~180 slips, 8 ft MLW, vessels to 200 ft
- Hope Town Inn & Marina
- ~50 slips, 6 ft entrance bar at MLW
- Green Turtle (White Sound)
- 5.5 ft entrance, two marinas inside
Operating data is updated each season. Confirm critical figures with the operator before arrival.
Captain Notes
- Whale Cay Passage governs the whole itinerary. Check the rage report on the morning cruisers' net (VHF 68, 0815) before promising Green Turtle to Hope Town in a day.
- Dorian talk: guests will ask. The honest line is that everything they will touch is rebuilt and the community wants the business. Do not run a disaster tour through residential Marsh Harbour.
- Hope Town entrance carries about 6 feet at the bar; a 6.5-foot draft enters top half of tide only, and the harbour is mooring-only with no swing room for over 65 feet.
- Cell coverage (BTC, Aliv) is decent on the cays but Starlink is now standard; weather files matter here because fronts accelerate over the Gulf Stream.
- Carry cash. Half the out-island docks and all the mooring collectors prefer it, and the surcharge on cards adds up across a season.
Local Red Flags
- Treasure Cay infrastructure status changes month to month; verify fuel, water, and slip availability directly before routing guests there.
- Winter fronts close Whale Cay Passage for 2 to 3 days at a time, and schedule-driven attempts in a north swell have rolled sportfish boats onto the bar.
- Summer is deep inside the hurricane box with thin haul-out options; the nearest serious yard capacity is back in Florida.
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