Regattas in The Abacos is June 22nd – 29th and begins this year at beautiful Green Turtle Cay.
There are eight days of festivities, including the five races, traveling to Great Guana Cay, Marsh Harbour, Elbow Cay, and lastly, a Close-Out party in Little Harbour. The four different race classes will be Spinnaker, Non-Spin, Multihull, and “Mother Tub” for cruising boats to join in on the fun. Find all the details at www.RegattasinTheAbacos.com.
Staniel Cay Yacht Club, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, looks forward to seeing you all as you visit the Bahamas! You’re gonna want to “stay just a little bit longer.”
ALERT: Recently there have been many comments about a private company in the Bahamas installing mooring balls with pending fees throughout the islands. The attached link will provide you with the official government response to this effort. We will endeavor to keep everyone apprised of the situation if significant changes occur.
*PLEASE NOTE: Information is valid as of January 16, 2025. Details are subject to change prior to the Captains’ Meeting with notification. Entry fees are non-refundable.
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2331 NW 55th Ct Hangar 19 | Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 US
Come to The Stuart Boat Show January 10-12 and visit The Bahamas Pavilion (Tent 300).
Dozens of Bahamian marinas, resorts and companies will be exhibiting at this amazing boat show. Come get updates on your favorite destinations and learn about new places to visit!
If you are unable to attend the show and want a hard copy, or digital copy of the new 2025 ABM Bahamas Boating Map, we will be happy to send to you!
Just shoot us an email and provide your US mailing address if you would like hard copy, or CLICK HERE for high res copy of the Cruising Chart – perfect for printing and framing!
Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club is a premier yacht club in the Abacos and A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR! If you cruise to Abacos and Marsh Harbour area, you should consider joining this great group of like minded cruisers.
Did you know……if you are flying out for the holidays you should bring your cruising permit with you to avoid issues when you return to your boat here in the Bahamas.
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Congratulations, you’ve arrived in the Bahamas on your own boat! The holidays are fast approaching, and you might be flying home to be with family and friends or have another reason to fly out. When you are returning by air, the immigration agent will want to make sure you have a way to leave the Bahamas. Your cruising permit is proof that you will be leaving on your own boat. Without that proof you could be held up at the airport or refused entry.
So, along with your passport make sure to pack your cruising permit.
Clémence Gatti conducts field research on ciguatera. She works for Laboratory of Marine Biotoxins at Papeete, French Polynesia.
After a spate of posts on Facebook showing astonishing ignorance about the dangers of eating barracuda in the Bahamas, Loose Cannon contacted Clémence Gatti, who has a PhD in Pathophysiology and works as a researcher at the Laboratory of Marine Biotoxins at Papeete, French Polynesia. She is one of the world’s foremost experts on ciguatera.
As a cherished SCYC guest, you are receiving special early access to our upcoming Black Friday Escape Deals! Click below to reveal your exclusive offer!
If you are cruising the Bahamas this winter, consider joining Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club, a premier yacht club in the Abacos and A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
Baystreet Marina special customized off-season rates and new on-line booking for dockage!
Customize your own dockage rate this autumn at Baystreet Marina! Call them directly with your September and October boating plans and they will tailor a rate just for you based on length of stay, size of boat and extended travel plans.
Snag-a-Slip is an incredibly easy way to book dockage from your PC or mobile device with NO booking fees.
The largest marina in The Bahamas, Baystreet Marina spans 1km of waterfront and offers 120 slips, accommodating vessels up to 500′ with 20′ draft’. The Marina is pet friendly, provides high quality reverse osmosis fresh water at every slip, and offers 24-hour security with full CCTV, and pumpout service. Baystreet also has the most modern power system in The Bahamas as well as modern RO system giving boaters peace of mind when connected.
More Bahamas News
The Bahamas Charter Yacht Show 2025 will be held in Nassau with events starting Wednesday January 29 at four leading Nassau/Paradise Island marinas. Presented by the Association of Bahamas Marinas in partnership and The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation.
The Association of Bahamas Marinas will have their own booth at this year’s Ft Lauderdale Boat Show. Come visit us in the Superyacht Tent at booth 855-856 and see representatives from:
Show your love for The Bahamas and vote for your favorite marinas, destinations and even the best dockmaster! Vote by clicking below:
Big ABM Welcome to our newest Allied Members – be sure to contact these companies for the best boating experiences in The Bahamas. See our full list of Allied Members!
Our sincerest thanks to Greg and Barbara Allard for once again sharing their thoughts and beautiful photography from their Bahamas cruises. These photos and descriptions will have you aching to follow in Meander‘s wake! For more of this excellent photography, type Allard in our Homepage search window for letters from previous cruises.
Hello Everyone –
In the last Letter from the Bahamas, we introduced you to Bobby Little, and to Rum Cay – a small out-island in the remote southern Bahamas. In 2011 it had a population of around 69, and over the years that has decreased.
Bobby Little owned and ran the Sumner Point marina on Rum, and in our last Letter we told you about Bobby’s intriguing and talented background. And then we told you that the marina is no more.
A number of years ago, another American who had a place on Rum, asserted his ownership to the Sumner Point marina, which had been owned by Bobby’s parents. The dispute was prolonged. Then, one night, when Bobby was “off island”, unknown persons bulldozed to the ground all of the marina’s buildings, including the clubhouse and several rental cottages.
The dispute as to ownership continued in the Bahamian courts for years, and Bobby reports that it has now been finally determined that he is the rightful owner of the marina… which of course doesn’t exist, other than for a few remaining docks in poor condition.
Bobby has determined that he will not be reopening the marina, and he will be putting the land up for sale. So what is this multi-talented person doing now? Well, he is a farmer on Eleuthera, another Bahamian island.
Bobby Little today, on his farm. At 62 years of age, he has begun the next of his life’s stories. He is married to a wonderful woman named Gro, who is Scandinavian. Another long time friend is now a partner with Bobby in this unusual undertaking.
He grows watermelons, hot and sweet peppers, herbs, onions, broccoli, and tomatoes.
A laden mango tree.
He also raises bananas and he explained that this particular variety were firmer and better tasting than most. We took some home and they were the very best we have ever had. Sorry Chiquita.
At the front gate to Spring Land Farm, you meet this artistic carving which can only have been done by Bobby. It gives you an idea of what else Bobby raises…
Goats. 500 of them.
Within five minutes of arriving, Bobby enlisted Barbara to help round up a few of the critters who had escaped the main holding pen.
In his past life, Bobby had been an excellent fish cleaner, so there was no reason to expect that he wasn’t equally capable of cleaning a goat. Here he is starting to remove the skin, which is valuable.
Some of these skins are destined to be used to make Junkanoo drums. Junkanoos are yearly festivals with dance and music held throughout the Bahamas.
While touring the farm, we noticed that the soil was very red and rich. Bobby explained that his farm is situated in a hollow or valley, and that the red soil is carried by the winds from the Sahara in Africa. That was a head-scratcher. We’ve never known Bobby to be inaccurate, but after we left the farm we just had to learn about that claim. Well, it is true, and there have been numerous professional scientific studies to confirm it. It occurs even today; Eleuthera is a prime beneficiary, and is the reason it has farmland which is extremely productive.
Bobby’s eventual idea is to open the farm as a working showcase for visitors. He already supplies local restaurants and resorts with his crops.
After all of the struggles which Bobby has gone through, we were thrilled to see that his new project has been so successful. We found Bobby extraordinarily happy with his new life, which of course is far different from his life on Rum Cay. After all, for our friends and family – and in fact for people everywhere – isn’t happiness all we wish for them?
The French Leave Resort at Governor’s Harbour on Eleuthera.
Tarpum Bay. The settlement was originally meant to refer to the Tarpon fish which were plentiful, but the name evolved.
Cracked conch. My favorite Bahamian meal.
Yellowfin tuna.
A grouper, created by a local artist, from beach glass.
The bounty of Eleuthera. Watermelon and bananas from Bobby’s farm, and a pair of Eleutherian pineapples. Years ago we learned about these exceptional pineapples, and when we finally had one we could see that they were significantly better than pineapples from anywhere else: they are more tender, so much so that you can eat the core, the texture is softer and the flavor – just extraordinary – sweeter and fresher. The distinguishing difference in appearance is that the leaves have serrated edges, where other pineapples have smooth edged leaves. They start ripening in mid May.
From a previous trip to the Bahamas, Barbara has learned how to propagate them. After you cut the tops off and leave about 1” of the pineapple, you peel off a couple of rows of the lower leaves, then just plant the top in the ground. It takes 18 months for a full sized pineapple to be produced.
This will be our last Letter from the Bahamas from our 2024 cruise, and we hope you have enjoyed traveling with us. Goodbye for another year to a wonderful country and its extraordinary people. It’s da people, mon.
Warmest regards to you all…
Greg and Barbara
Copyright Greg Allard,2024
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Comments from Cruisers (1)
Winston Fowler- June 12, 2024 - 5:21 pm
Thanks Greg and Barbara for taking the time to document and share some very informative and interesting experiences of people and the islands. I remember in the Sahara Desert getting credit often for the beautiful sunrise colors. Good to see that Bobby has found a partner and a new way to live. Sure bet the locals are enjoying the "fruits" of Bobby's labor….. pun intended "LOL"
Watch now
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