The Bahamas is the one cruising ground in this record where a single company prices all three products on one page, which makes it the best place to see what each level of service actually costs. It is also the Caribbean destination most Americans can reach without a long-haul flight, and it is priced accordingly: its floor is the highest of any Caribbean ground here.
The three published Bahamian figures
The Moorings publishes a 7 day bareboat charter for 2 in the Abacos from 5,579 USD, power charters from 6,655 and skippered packages from 12,479, on a page running to 24,179. Read together those are the shape of the whole market: power is a modest step above sail, and putting a professional aboard is roughly a doubling. That ratio travels further than the figures do.
Why the Bahamian floor is high
At 5,579 USD, the cost of sailing the Bahamas starts well above St Lucia at 2,464, Grenada at 2,634, Antigua at 2,974 and the British Virgin Islands at 3,284, all from the same company. The reason is demand rather than distance: the Bahamas is a short flight from the eastern United States and the season is long. It is not the cheap Caribbean and the arithmetic does not support treating it as one.
Where the boats are, and what that decides
Almost every Bahamian bareboat leaves from Marsh Harbour in the Abacos or from Nassau. The Abacos are a sheltered sound with settlements down both sides and short hops, which suits a first charter. The Exumas run south from Nassau as a long thin chain of cays with the best water in the region and less shelter. The base decides the week far more than the boat does.
What Bahamas boat charters charge on top
Fuel, which matters far more on a power charter than a sailing one; the Bahamian cruising permit and fishing permit; provisioning, which is expensive and limited outside the main settlements; and a security deposit for the week. A power charter in the Exumas covering real distance can spend a substantial fraction of the charter fee on fuel alone, which is the single biggest budgeting error made here.
Questions people ask about Bahamas yacht charter prices
How much does it cost to sail in the Bahamas?
The Moorings publishes a 7 day bareboat charter for 2 in the Abacos from 5,579 USD, power from 6,655 and skippered from 12,479, on a page running to 24,179, read on 11 September 2026.
Is the Bahamas cheaper than the Caribbean?
No. On the same company's pages the Bahamas starts at 5,579 USD against 2,464 in St Lucia, 2,634 in Grenada, 2,974 in Antigua and 3,284 in the BVI.
Where do Bahamian charters leave from?
Mostly Marsh Harbour in the Abacos or Nassau. The Abacos are sheltered with short hops; the Exumas run south from Nassau with better water and less shelter.
How much is a skippered Bahamian charter?
The Moorings publishes skippered packages from 12,479 USD against bareboat from 5,579 for the same seven days, which is roughly a doubling.