Best Cruising Guides for the Bahamas
Realistic cruising expectations, smart routing, a sense of humor, and the right tools make navigation around the Bahamas easier.
Passage Planning and Routing in the Bahamas
Famed for its beautiful white sand and clear waters, the Bahamas are a wonderful cruising ground and one of the best first offshore trips. The Gulf Stream crossing, spending on the boat, and conditions can be completed in a day. Still, cruising there is an undertaking, and you need to conduct thorough research before planning and plotting your route. These explorer books are valuable resources to help explorers figure out their seasonal routing strategy, including best weather windows, localised wind patterns and extreme currents, and where to stop for fuel, provisions, or access to boat parts.
Navigating the Great Bahama Banks can be hair-raising and requires careful weather planning and robust anchoring skills, as conditions can be highly variable, with precipitous squalls and strong cold fronts. The shallow banks, such as the Grand Bahama Bank and Exuma Bank, are beautiful but challenging to navigate, requiring close attention to a boat's draft due to shallow waters and coral heads. Not only do these guides help cruisers travel efficiently and safely, but they also help them to enjoy their time ashore.
Above: 2026 Sunreef 70 NEXT sailing yacht has a shallow draft, comfort, autonomy, and layout, all of which match the conditions and lifestyle of Bahamian waters. Image via boats.com
1. Passages South: The Thornless Path to Windward, Bruce Van Sant
This book is specifically written for cruisers who want to move east in the Caribbean without getting their boat beaten up. For more than twenty years Van Sant surveyed nearly 200 anchorages between Florida and South America, clocking up well over 80,000 sea miles, mostly single-handed, refining detailed routing plans for every leg, systematically removing thorns out of a route known as the “Thorny Path.” Van Sant harnesses the calming effects on wind and sea which result from land cooling on each side of an inter-island passage. You will find useful information on timing, weather patterns, night lees, land breezes, and the clocking of the trades.
2. Explorer Chartbook Near Bahamas, Monty & Sara Lewis
Widely regarded as the navigation “bible” for sailors in the Bahamas. It provides up-to-date hydrographic charts, GPS waypoints, anchoring info, tide tables, and detailed marina/harbour/anchorage data., 80 detailed charts covering everything from the Gulf Stream crossings to the Abacos, Berry Islands, Grand Bahama, Andros and Nassau, plus tide tables, GPS waypoints, anchorage info, marina listings, and extensive practical articles (weather, customs, anchoring, navigation, etc. This will serve you well as your core reference.
3. Bahamas Quick Reference Cruising Guide, Larry Webber
Boat Galley’s Larry Webber draws on his experience traveling from the East Coast down to the Bahamas. This guide makes it easy to compare hard-to-find information, such as haulouts, maximum beam, lift capacity, DIY allowed, storm holes, free docks, and cuts. All information is presented in easy-to-read tables. Just scan down the column to find the best location for your needs.
4. Bahamas Land & Sea Waterway Guide, Addison Chan
This book is crucial for safely navigating the Bahamas' shallow waters. It provides detailed information on localized weather conditions, marinas, points of interest, and cruising tips. To enhance situational awareness of locations and positions. Venerable Chan has surveyed many new anchorages across The Bahamas and included them with detailed descriptions, ratings, and navigation information.
Above: 2002 ShearWater 39 | 45ft. Image via boats.com/2002 ShearWater 39. Image via The Multihull Company.
5. The Boat Galley Cookbook, Carolyn Shearlock
Supplies in the Bahamas can cost over double due to high import costs, customs duties, and demand from a popular tourist destination, and selection is inconsistent. This handbook recommends stocking up on key supplies before you depart. Carolyn Shearlock, who has lived on a boat for over 17 years, also recommends recipes that work well in Bahamian conditions.
6. Cruising Guide to Abaco, Steve Dodge
A region-specific guide, providing detailed shoreline data on depths, approaches, tide tables, and routes between cays in Abaco. You can also find detailed snorkeling and diving charts, business directories for Abaco, articles on fishing, a lunar calendar for 2025, a guide to the dolphins and whales of Abaco, and a brief history overview.
7. The Cruising Guide to the Northern Bahamas by Pavlidis
If you prefer narrative-driven books combined with local knowledge, Pavlidis' book covers the cruising area from the Bahamas to the Abacos to Cat Island and includes photos and maps. The extensive information and tips on the anchorages and ports of Grand Bahama, The Abacos, The Berry Islands, New Providence, The Biminis, Eleuthera, Andros, and Cat Island make the Cruising Guide a helpful companion to keep on board while in the Caribbean. There is a southern Bahamas guide format available too.
8. The Yachtsman's Guide to the Bahamas, Thomas Daly
For novice as well as seasoned boaters planning to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos, and the Dominican Republic. It cannot serve as the sole resource for safe navigation, and cruisers should also use official nautical charts. The largest selling, annually revised Bahamas Cruising Guide. Updated and published annually since 1950 with the endorsement and sponsorship of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.
Other sources of information can be found by connecting with other cruisers on social media and using a host of apps, such as NAVILY or 12 KNOTS.Whether you have plans to explore the caves of Jumentos, swim with dolphins, or paddleboard the azure oceans on Cabbage Beach, the Bahamas is a sailors paradise. Find out everything you need to know about Cruising in the Caribbean.
If you are considering spending a little longer offshore and living on board a yacht, read more about Liveaboard Life in the Caribbean on our sister site, YachtWorld.
