The Exuma chain runs about a hundred and thirty miles southeast from Nassau and is the reason experienced crews charter in the Bahamas at all. The water over the banks is the clearest most sailors will ever see, the cays are almost uninhabited, and there is very little shelter when the weather turns. It is a bareboat cruising ground for crews who have done a few.
What a week costs
The Moorings publishes a 7 day bareboat charter for 2 in the Bahamas from 5,579 USD, with power charters from 6,655 and skippered packages from 12,479, on a page running to 24,179. Most Exuma charters start from Nassau rather than Marsh Harbour, and the figures are the same because the fleet is priced nationally rather than by chain.
Provisioning, which has to be planned
There are two proper settlements on the whole chain, at Staniel Cay and George Town, and neither is a supermarket in the sense the word usually carries. A week in the Exumas is provisioned in Nassau before you leave, including water and ice, and a crew that plans to shop as it goes will be eating what the boat has by Wednesday. This is the single biggest practical difference from the Abacos.
Shelter and the winter fronts
The chain runs northwest to southeast with the banks to the west and the ocean to the east, which gives good protection in the prevailing easterly and almost none when a cold front clocks the wind into the northwest. Fronts arrive every week or so through the winter. Knowing which cays offer a western lee, and being somewhere useful before the shift, is the whole navigation problem here.
Exumas bareboat charter: whether a company will let you
Most will, with a convincing sailing CV, and some restrict the southern end or the ocean passages. Ask specifically which parts of the chain your charter agreement permits before you book, because the answer varies between operators and the southern Exumas are the part most worth having. The Bahamas has no national license requirement, so the company's own judgement is the gate.
Questions people ask about bareboat charter exumas
How much is a bareboat charter in the Exumas?
The Moorings publishes a 7 day Bahamian bareboat charter for 2 from 5,579 USD, on a page running to 24,179, read on 11 September 2026. Exuma charters usually start from Nassau.
Where do you provision for the Exumas?
Nassau, before you leave, including water and ice. There are only two proper settlements on the chain, at Staniel Cay and George Town.
Are the Exumas sheltered?
In the prevailing easterly, yes. When a winter cold front clocks the wind into the northwest there is very little, and knowing which cays give a western lee is the main navigation problem.
Can I charter the Exumas bareboat?
Usually, with a convincing sailing CV. Some operators restrict the southern end or the ocean passages, so ask which parts your agreement permits before booking.