Your Charter Check-In Day at Conch Inn Marina, Marsh Harbour
Check-in day at Conch Inn Marina, step by step: landing at MHH, the taxi, provisioning at Maxwell's, 4:00 PM check-in, the chart briefing and your first night.
Check-in day sets the tone for the whole charter. Get it right and you finish it in your own cockpit with a cold drink, a full fridge and the boat's quirks already learned. Get it wrong and you are hauling groceries down the dock at dusk, still working out how the anchor windlass works.
Every catamaran in our fleet starts and ends its charter at Conch Inn Marina in Marsh Harbour, where Abaco Sail runs the charter base. Check-in is at 4:00 PM on arrival day and check-out at 10:00 AM on your last morning. Here is how to use the hours between landing and your first night aboard.
Before you fly
A few jobs are far easier at home than on the dock.
- Book a flight that lands by early afternoon. That leaves time for immigration, the taxi, lunch and a provisioning run before 4:00 PM. Our guide on how to get to the Abacos covers the routes into Marsh Harbour (MHH).
- Bareboating? Have your sailing résumé ready. Abaco Sail will want to see your sailing résumé and charter history; an ASA 104 or RYA Day Skipper certificate is roughly the level they expect.
- Write the shopping list. Plan meals before you leave, using our provisioning guide, and the supermarket run takes an hour instead of an afternoon.
- Pack soft bags. Rigid suitcases are hard to stow aboard; our packing guide covers what to bring.
- Check the money side. The charter balance is due 45 days before departure, so by check-in day it should be paid. The refundable security deposit is separate: $1,500, or $2,000 on Sapphire Seas and CU Sailing. Ask us ahead of time how it will be collected.
Landing at Marsh Harbour
Marsh Harbour International is a small airport, and clearing immigration and customs is usually quick. Keep passports and your charter details handy; for immigration purposes, the boat is your accommodation.
Taxis wait outside arrivals. Meters are uncommon, so agree on the fare before you load the bags. The ride to Conch Inn Marina takes roughly 10 to 15 minutes.
Landed early? The boat will not be ready before 4:00 PM, so use the time. Lunch in town and the provisioning run fit comfortably into a couple of hours.
Provisioning at Maxwell's
Marsh Harbour is the best place in the Abacos to stock a boat, and Maxwell's supermarket is a few minutes from the marina. Buy the bulk of the week here: produce, meat, dairy, dry goods, mixers and snacks. Beer and rum are on the shelves too, at island prices.
Groceries are not part of the charter rate or the Comfort Pack, so this run is on you. A few tips:
- Shop last. Make Maxwell's the final stop before the dock, so cold food goes straight into the boat's fridge. If time is tight, split up: a couple of people shop while the skipper checks in.
- Buy for three or four days, not seven. You will eat ashore more than you expect, and the settlements on the cays have small shops for top-ups.
- Think about Man-O-War. Man-O-War Cay is dry by local tradition, so if it is an early stop, buy your beer and wine in Marsh Harbour.
- Read your boat's page first. Most of the catamarans list a watermaker, a cockpit grill and snorkel gear, which changes what you need to buy and pack.
4:00 PM: meeting your boat
The base team meets you at the boat. The first hour is unglamorous and important: get to know this particular boat. Even seasoned charterers should ask to be shown every system they will use daily, including the heads, the anchor windlass, the dinghy and outboard, the electronics, and the generator and watermaker if your boat has them. Take photos of anything you might forget.
What the Comfort Pack covers
The Comfort Pack is compulsory on every charter and is charged per week in addition to the rate: $1,000 a week on the Cruiser boats, $1,050 on the Voyagers and $1,100 on the two Flagships, with each extra week at $600, $630 or $660. It covers:
- cleaning at the end of your charter
- bed linen and towels for every berth
- a damage deposit reduction waiver, which limits what you owe if something is damaged
- the dinghy and its outboard
- a chart briefing on the Sea of Abaco
- a welcome pack
- cruising and fishing permits
Fuel, groceries and optional extras are not included.
The chart briefing
For a bareboat skipper, this is the most valuable hour of the week. The Sea of Abaco is protected and forgiving, but it is shallow, and local knowledge spares you from learning the hard way. Whenever your briefing is scheduled, on arrival afternoon or first thing next morning, the skipper and anyone who will help navigate should be there. Questions worth bringing:
- Which harbour entrances need a rising tide at our boat's draft?
- Where can we pick up moorings, and how do we pay for them?
- What is the plan if a cold front comes through mid-week?
- How do we reach the base during the charter?
- Where should we top up fuel and water?
The first night: dock, harbour or a short hop
Daylight decides this more than anything else. In Marsh Harbour, the sun sets between about 5:15 and 5:50 PM from November through January. After the clocks go forward in March it sets after 7:00 PM, and in June and July it is close to 8:00 PM. Reading the water in the Sea of Abaco takes good light, so after a winter check-in there is no sensible window to sail anywhere new.
Stay at the dock
The simplest first night is right where you are. Conch Inn has a pool, there are restaurants within walking distance, and you can finish stowing, settle into cabins and try out the systems without an anchor to watch. In winter, this is what we recommend.
Anchor in Marsh Harbour
If you want your first night on the hook, you do not need to leave the harbour. The Marsh Harbour anchorage is nearly enclosed, with 8 to 12 feet of water and good holding in sand and grass. It is a low-pressure place to practise anchoring before the week begins in earnest.
A short hop on a long day
From spring into summer, a short first passage is realistic if your briefing is done in good time.
- Man-O-War Cay is about an hour's sail away. Anchor in the outer anchorage in the lee of Dickie's Cay, in 10 to 12 feet over sand; the inner harbour is too shallow for any boat in the fleet at low water.
- Hope Town on Elbow Cay is around an hour and a half away. The harbour is moorings only, and the entrance carries about 5 to 6 feet at mean low water, so arrive in good light, and on a rising tide in the bigger Lagoons. We would save Hope Town for the morning of day two, with the whole day ahead of you.
Check-out day: 10:00 AM
The last morning runs in reverse, and it goes smoothly if you plan backward from the clock.
- Spend the last night close. Be back at the dock or in Marsh Harbour the evening before, so you are not racing across the Sea of Abaco on the final morning.
- Pack, don't scrub. The final clean is part of the Comfort Pack. Clear out your food and belongings and put the boat's gear back where you found it.
- Settle the fuel. Fuel is not included, so expect to settle what you used; the base will explain how. Your refundable deposit is dealt with once the boat has been checked back in.
- Fly home in the afternoon. With a 10:00 AM check-out and a 10- to 15-minute taxi to MHH, a midday departure is tight. An afternoon flight keeps the morning calm.
A sample check-in day
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| By 1:00 PM | Land at MHH and clear immigration and customs |
| 1:30 PM | Taxi into Marsh Harbour, about 10 to 15 minutes |
| 2:00 PM | Lunch in town |
| 3:00 PM | Provisioning run at Maxwell's |
| 4:00 PM | Check in at Conch Inn Marina and meet the team at the boat |
| 4:30 PM | Stow gear, learn the systems, chart briefing if scheduled |
| Evening | Dinner ashore; first night at the dock or anchored in the harbour |
| Next morning | Sail to Man-O-War Cay or Hope Town |
Ready to choose a boat? Browse the fleet, read more about the Marsh Harbour base, or send us your dates and we will check availability for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What time is charter check-in and check-out at Conch Inn Marina?
- Check-in is at 4:00 PM on your arrival day and check-out is at 10:00 AM on your last day. Aim to land in Marsh Harbour by early afternoon, and book your flight home for the afternoon.
- How far is Conch Inn Marina from Marsh Harbour airport?
- It is a 10- to 15-minute taxi ride from Marsh Harbour International airport (MHH). Taxis wait outside arrivals; agree on the fare before you set off, as meters are uncommon.
- Where do we buy groceries before the charter?
- Maxwell's supermarket in Marsh Harbour, a few minutes from the marina, is the main stop. Groceries are not included in the charter rate or the Comfort Pack, so plan a provisioning run before you sail.
- What does the Comfort Pack include?
- Cleaning at the end of your charter, bed linen and towels for every berth, a damage deposit reduction waiver, the dinghy and its outboard, a chart briefing on the Sea of Abaco, a welcome pack, and cruising and fishing permits. It is mandatory and costs $1,000 to $1,100 a week depending on the boat. Fuel and optional extras are not included.
- Can we sail away on check-in day?
- It depends on the season. From November through January the sun sets around 5:15 to 5:50 PM, so we suggest a first night at the dock or anchored in Marsh Harbour. In spring and summer, with sunset after 7:00 PM, a short hop to Man-O-War Cay is realistic.
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