The Bahamas start forty eight miles east of Miami and almost no Miami charter will take you there. That is not a licensing quirk; it is the Gulf Stream, a two to three knot river of warm water running north across the whole route that turns steep and dangerous whenever the wind has any north in it.
What the crossing is
Forty eight miles from Miami to Bimini, two to three hours in a fast boat in settled conditions and not attempted at all in a northerly. It leaves the United States, so it needs passports for everyone aboard, a Bahamian cruising permit and customs clearance at Alice Town. A chartered boat also needs its owner's written permission to leave American waters, and most charter agreements simply refuse it.
The two markets, priced
Read on 11 September 2026, Sailo lists 1,106 boats in reach of Miami at an average of 4,097 USD a day, from 80 to 59,000, and 161 at Nassau at an average of 4,326 a day, from 1,100 to 11,810. Those are two separate markets with similar averages, and the sensible arrangement is to use each of them where it is: a Miami boat for Biscayne Bay and a Nassau or Exumas boat for the Bahamas.
How people actually take a private cruise to Bahamas waters
A scheduled fast ferry from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini or Freeport. A flight to Nassau, Marsh Harbour or Staniel Cay, which is under an hour. Or a crewed delivery charter sold as a crossing rather than as a rental, where the captain is the operator and the insurance covers the passage. If the aim is a week on Bahamian water, The Moorings prices an Exumas charter for two from 4,529 USD and an Abacos week from 5,579.
Questions people ask about charter boat from Miami to Bahamas
Can you charter a boat in Miami and sail to the Bahamas?
Rarely. The trip leaves American waters and needs the owner's written permission, passports, a Bahamian cruising permit and clearance at Alice Town, and most charter agreements refuse it outright.
How far is the crossing?
Forty eight miles from Miami to Bimini, two to three hours in a fast boat in settled weather. The Gulf Stream runs north across the route at two to three knots and the sea turns dangerous in any northerly.
What is the sensible way to do it?
Fly or take the fast ferry and charter on the Bahamian side. Sailo lists 161 boats at Nassau averaging 4,326 USD a day, and The Moorings prices an Exumas week for two from 4,529.