Marsh Harbour, Abaco

Check-in day

Check-in is at 4:00 PM on the first day of your charter. The dock team meets arriving guests at the boat, and before you cast off they give you a chart briefing on the Sea of Abaco. Bring your questions about routes, anchorages and the week's weather; the people briefing you hand these boats over every week.

Check-out is at 10:00 AM on your last day, back at the same dock. The team keeps dock hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday, Eastern time. To reach them from the water, hail on VHF 16 and switch to 68.

• Check-in: 4:00 PM on your first day
• Check-out: 10:00 AM on your final day
• Meeting point: Slip 14, Conch Inn Marina
• Dock hours: Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern
• Radio: hail on VHF 16, then switch to 68
• Minimum charter: 4 nights; stays shorter than a week are priced per night at one-sixth of the weekly rate

Provisioning

Provisioning isn't included in an Abaco Sail charter, so plan to shop before you board. Maxwell's in Marsh Harbour is the main supermarket in the Abacos, stocking fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy, pantry staples and household basics, and it's within walking distance of the marina. Do the big shop here: the small stores in Hope Town and on Green Turtle Cay are handy for top-ups, but they carry less and charge more.

Bring your own drinks. Maxwell's has beer, mixers, sodas, juices and basic spirits at island prices, so if you have a favorite wine or rum, pack it from home within your customs allowance. After you book, Abaco Sail confirms the boat's inventory and sends a kit list, so you'll know what's aboard before planning menus.

What the Comfort Pack covers

The Comfort Pack comes with every Abaco Sail charter and isn't optional. It's a flat weekly fee added to the charter rate, with a lower fee for each additional week; the amount depends on the boat, so you'll find it alongside each boat's rates.

Fuel and provisioning aren't covered, and any optional extras are priced separately when you ask for them. Each boat also has a refundable security deposit, listed on its page.

• Dinghy and outboard
• Cruising and fishing permits
• Bed linen and towels for every berth
• A damage deposit reduction waiver that limits what you're liable for if something gets damaged
• Chart briefing on the Sea of Abaco before you sail
• A welcome pack
• Cleaning once your charter ends

Where you can sail from here

Marsh Harbour sits near the middle of the Sea of Abaco, the calm, shallow water between Great Abaco and its outer barrier cays, so you can turn north or south depending on the wind. The times below are rough sailing times from the dock in fair conditions; once you're out among the cays, most hops between neighboring stops take an hour or two, which leaves plenty of each day for swimming and time ashore.

Two runs need a little planning. Green Turtle Cay lies beyond the Whale Cay passage, which is best crossed in settled conditions. Little Harbour sits just past Lynyard Cay, itself about 15 nautical miles south of the dock, and its entrance carries roughly 4 feet at low water and 7 feet at high tide, so time your arrival with the tide or anchor off Lynyard and take the dinghy in. Anchoring inside Little Harbour is restricted, so plan on picking up a mooring.

• Man-O-War Cay, about 1 hour: a boat-building settlement where no alcohol is sold
• Hope Town, Elbow Cay, about 1.5 hours: the candy-striped Elbow Reef Lighthouse, with Tahiti Beach at the southern tip
• Great Guana Cay, about 2 hours: a seven-mile beach and Nipper's, liveliest on a Sunday
• Treasure Cay, about 3 hours: a protected harbour beside one of the best-known beaches in the Bahamas
• Green Turtle Cay, a half-day sail: historic New Plymouth and its Loyalist roots
• Little Harbour, at the southern end of the Sea of Abaco: a sheltered natural harbour with Pete's Pub ashore

Weather and seasons

The fleet sails from October 15 to August 18. Between August 19 and October 14 every boat is closed for annual yard service, a break that also covers the most active weeks of the Atlantic hurricane season.

November to April is the dry season, with steady northeast trade winds of roughly 10 to 20 knots and the most settled sailing of the year. Rates peak over Christmas and New Year, from December 24 to January 6, and holiday weeks, Easter and US spring break included, are often booked nine to twelve months ahead; other high-season weeks between November and April can usually be found three to six months out.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30. Charters carry on through the summer until August 18, with the year's lowest rates from August 1 to 18, but those weeks call for a close watch on the tropics and a flexible plan. Out on the water, the Abaco Cruisers Net on VHF 68 broadcasts weather and local news in the mornings from 8:15.

• Charter season: October 15 to August 18
• Closed for annual yard service: August 19 to October 14
• Dry season and steadiest trade winds: November to April
• Highest rates: December 24 to January 6
• Atlantic hurricane season: June 1 to November 30

Marina facilities

Conch Inn Marina is on Bay Street in central Marsh Harbour, with 73 slips on fixed docks for boats up to 120 feet. Abaco Sail's base is at Slip 14.

Chandleries, hardware stores, restaurants and Maxwell's supermarket are all a short walk from the docks. If you're on Abaco before your trip, you're welcome to visit Slip 14 during dock hours and see the boats for yourself; if not, ask us to set up a live video tour of the boat you're considering.

• 73 slips for boats up to 120 feet
• About 7 feet of water on the approach, 9 feet at the dock
• Fuel dock with gasoline and diesel
• 30 and 50 amp shore power
• Metered fresh water at each berth
• Wi-Fi, a pool and mooring balls in the harbour
• The marina monitors VHF 16

Getting there

Fly into Leonard M. Thompson International Airport (MHH) in Marsh Harbour. American Airlines flies daily from Miami and regional carriers fly direct from Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, a hop of about an hour from South Florida. Bahamasair and Western Air connect from Nassau several times a day in roughly 35 minutes. Direct Florida service changes with the seasons, so check current schedules before you book.

Marsh Harbour is a port of entry, so you clear Bahamian immigration and customs in the terminal when you land, and the lines are usually short. Taxis are available outside arrivals and the ride to Conch Inn Marina takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Meters are uncommon, so agree the fare before you set off.

Check-in is at 4:00 PM, so a morning or midday arrival works best. That leaves time to clear customs, stop at Maxwell's for the week's groceries and reach the dock with the shopping done. If the only flights that suit you land late in the day, mention it when you inquire, or consider flying in the day before and spending a night ashore in Marsh Harbour.

On your last day, check-out is at 10:00 AM and the airport is only minutes away, so an early-afternoon flight home leaves a comfortable margin.

Treasure Cay Airport (TCB), further north on Great Abaco, also has scheduled flights from Florida and Nassau, but it means a much longer taxi ride to the dock. For a Conch Inn start, Marsh Harbour is the airport to book.