Explorer Chartbooks, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET PARTNER, has long been the standard navigational supplement for enjoyable, informative, and safe cruising through the beautiful Bahamian waters and island visits.

Bahamas Chatter: Cruisers not welcome at Little San Salvador
Cruisers not welcome at Little San Salvador
Posted: 15 Apr 2016 04:06 AM PDT
The following letter was received from a cruiser that recently visited Little San Salvador (AKA Half Moon Cay):

My wife and I anchored our 44’ sailing catamaran just West of the Southernmost point on the island in calm conditions on the evening of April 7. On the morning of April 8, a cruise ship arrived and anchored about 1 ½ miles NW of us. Later that morning we were shocked when a 35-40’ flybridge power boat with inboard engines came zooming right at our boat, throwing a huge wake. It past our stern no more than 50’ away, then took a sharp turn along our port side as the captain let off the throttles and let his boat settle, creating an even greater wake. We were too busy grabbing items that were going to fly off of our table and countertops to signal to them. 2 Bahamian men were on the fly bridge, and they went to a mooring that was off shore from us and served as a snorkeling spot for the cruise ship guests. The purpose of the flybridge boat was to carry the guests to that spot. We thought at first that the captain simply didn’t know the “rules of the road” in boating- that he is responsible for any damage created by his wake. At the time, we didn’t take it for what it really was; a clear message that we were not welcome here.
Within the hour we decided to go exploring on our dinghy, and headed East along the shoreline, then up into the creek mentioned above. The creek led to an open bay that is nearly ½ mile wide and about 2 miles long. We were idling along enjoying the scenery when the only other boat on the bay (a small boat with 2 Bahamian crew and 2 cruise ship guests) flagged us down. One of the crew let us know that this waterway was private and that we could not be here. I argued that we were not ashore, nor were we heading ashore, we are ON THE WATER. She insisted that we must leave immediately. Their guests looked as shocked over the incident as we were. We turned and left, angered and feeling that our rights were not being respected; not on the dinghy, and certainly not on our yacht.
Now, I completely understand that land can be purchased and we respect that when cruising. However, I did not realize that the OCEAN and its inlets can be owned by someone. This was not an inland lake, this was an ocean inlet! It’s no different than telling me I can’t have my boat anchored off your island, which we realized was the clear message being given by the flybridge boats rude behavior. Now we were being told in no uncertain terms by the Holland America crew that our dinghy was not allowed on “their” water.
As a human being, I could certainly be wrong about the Bahamian laws, so I’m open to hearing about how areas of the ocean can be purchased by individuals or businesses for private use. But if I’m correct and that is simply absurd, then I look to hear back from Mr. Kruse. Perhaps the next edition of the Explorer chartbooks should be updated to reflect this situation and the way it is responded to.