Eleuthera and Harbour Island by yacht
A long island with calm banks on one side and the Atlantic on the other, plus Harbour Island's pink sand and small town. December to May is the season. It suits couples and honeymoons most.
Eleuthera is a long, narrow island in the Bahamas, east of Nassau. On one side it faces the open Atlantic; on the other, the calm water of the Bight. Off its northern tip lie Harbour Island, with its pink-sand beach and painted wooden town, and Spanish Wells, a working fishing harbour. Compared with the Exumas, there are more towns, more people who actually live there, and fewer yachts.
Why go, and whom it suits
Couples and honeymoons: Harbour Island's town is small, pretty and walkable, with dinners ashore and a long beach for the morning. The rest of the island is quiet.
Families: calm water on the Bight side, beaches on both coasts, and a drive to the Glass Window Bridge. There is less snorkelling from the yacht than in the Exumas.
Friends: Harbour Island has the best evenings ashore outside Nassau. It also combines well with a few days in Nassau.
The honest limit: the reefs on the north coast need care. The passage between Spanish Wells and Harbour Island, the Devil's Backbone, runs among the reefs, and the captain decides whether the yacht takes it; a large yacht may anchor off and use her tender.
What's there
Spanish Wells
a fishing settlement on St George's Cay, with a marina and provisions.
Harbour Island
Dunmore Town, its painted wooden houses, and the pink-sand beach on the Atlantic side. The airport at North Eleuthera is across the water.
The Glass Window Bridge
on the road north of Gregory Town, reached by car from the yacht. In a heavy Atlantic swell it can be closed.
Governor's Harbour
the island's old capital, on the Bight, with an airport.
Rock Sound and the south
quiet anchorages, and the marina at Cape Eleuthera.
Rose Island
the first stop out of Nassau, with a reef and beaches.
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When to go
From about December to May, the main season, when the trade winds are steady. The Atlantic hurricane season runs officially from 1 June to 30 November, with most of its activity between mid-August and mid-October. The Atlantic coast can carry a swell in winter. On those days the yacht stays on the Bight side.
What it costs
The weekly fee is each yacht's own, shown "from" on her page; the festive weeks cost more. Each yacht's rate is in its own currency, often US dollars here. Bahamian VAT applies to charters in Bahamian waters, at the rate in force, and each yacht's quote shows it. APA, the advance for fuel, food, drinks and dockage, is paid with the balance and accounted for at the end, with anything unspent returned; budget up to 40% of the charter fee for it, more for long or remote passages. Our guide sets out what a crewed charter costs, line by line.
The weekly rate on each yacht’s page. "From" is her lowest season.
An advance for fuel, food, drinks and berths, spent on your instructions and settled at the end.
Set by the country the charter starts in, added to the fee.
A sample week
Nassau, Eleuthera and Harbour Island, and back. The yacht, the swell and the captain decide the real route.
Board in the afternoon. A short hop to a quiet anchorage and a swim before dinner.
Cross to the north of Eleuthera, a few hours. Walk the harbour.
Through the Devil's Backbone if the captain is happy to take it, or by tender if the yacht anchors off. The pink-sand beach in the afternoon, dinner in Dunmore Town.
A slow day: breakfast ashore, the beach, a walk round the town.
Back round to the Bight side, and a drive to the Glass Window. Anchor off Governor's Harbour.
The south of the island, and a quiet night.
Cross back to Nassau and disembark. Alternatively, cross south to the top of the Exumas and leave the yacht there for a second week.
The yachts
Most of the yachts we show in the Bahamas are motor yachts of 24 metres and more, with a few catamarans.
Around Harbour Island, a mid-size yacht with a shallow draft has an easier time. The yachts on this site are a selection, not the limit of what we arrange: ask about any yacht, of any size.
Practical questions
Rene GaspersicYour broker
Can a large yacht reach Harbour Island?
She can anchor off and run you in by tender. Whether she goes through the Devil's Backbone depends on her draft and on the captain.
Where can we fly in or out?
North Eleuthera, for Harbour Island and Spanish Wells, or Governor's Harbour, further south. We can tell you the current routes.
Is it busy?
Harbour Island is busy in high season, by Bahamian standards. The rest of the island is quiet.
Can we combine it with the Exumas?
Yes, in a longer charter: the yacht crosses from southern Eleuthera to the top of the Exumas on a settled day.
Is the Atlantic side safe for swimming?
On calm days, yes. When a swell is running, ask the crew first; they pick the beach.
Is there good snorkelling?
Some, and the crew know where. The Exumas offer more.
Can we eat ashore every night?
On Harbour Island, yes. Elsewhere, less so.
Do we pay VAT?
Yes, on charters in Bahamian waters, at the rate in force; each yacht's quote shows it.
Talk to a broker
Tell us roughly when, how many of you there are, and what the week is for: a family winter break, a honeymoon, a birthday with friends. Dates and budget can stay loose. We come back with a short list of yachts that fit, say plainly what each one is like, and stay your contact from the first email to the last day on board.
Rene Gaspersic
charter broker
Email info@soretoyachting.com · Phone +44 7342 933198 · WhatsApp +44 7342 933198
Plan
Eleuthera and Harbour Island.
Two short steps. Dates and budget can stay loose. We reply personally, by email, phone or WhatsApp.