A Cruising Guide to The Northern Bahamas

Well, once again it's time for a new edition. Reviewing the islands and waters of the Northern and Southern Bahamas over the last few years I found that many places have changed. New marinas have opened, new businesses have sprung up, Internet access is now regarded as a necessity by some cruisers (myself included), and I've sounded the waters of more areas to offer you even more anchorages to enjoy, especially in the Bight of Acklins, which I promised in the last edition of On and Off The Beaten Path.
The Bahamas seem to be getting smaller, new fast ferries connect most of the islands on a regular basis carrying people, cars, and cargo over long distances in a short period of time. Fast ferries now service Nassau, Sandy Point (Abaco), Spanish Wells, George Town (Exuma), Andros, and Grand Bahama, with one ferry plying the waters between Freeport and Ft. Lauderdale. A new fast ferry service connecting Nassau to Ft. Lauderdale is scheduled to be up and running by the time this guide is published.

Table of Contents

The Basics
Anchoring
Clothing
Currency
Customs and Immigration
The Defence Force
Dinghy Safety
Diving
Ferries in Abaco
Fishing
Garbage
GPS
A Tale of Marsh Harbour
Ham Radio
Holidays
Hurricane Holes
Internet in The Bahamas
Junkanoo
Mailboats
Medical Emergencies
Phoning Home
Provisioning
Tides and Currents
Towboat US
VHP
Weather
Usincj the Chdrts
List of hэrts
Index of Charts

Crossing The Gulf Stream
When do I Cross?
How do I Cross
Courses from South Florida
Making Landfall
Grand Bahama
West End
, Freeport/Lucaya
Xanadu Channel to Silver Cove
Silver Cove
Bell Channel
The Grand Lucayan Waterway
Peterson Cay
Grand Bahama by Car
The Bight of Abaco
West End Point and
The Northwest Passage
Cave Cay and Spence Rock
Randall's Cay
Basin Harbour Cay
Norman's Castle
Castaway Cay
Tales of Gorda Cay
Mores Island
The Abacos
The Northern Abacos
Routes from West End, G.B
Great Sale Cay
Walker's Cay
Grand Cays
Double Breasted Cays
Stranger's Cays
Carters Cays
Fox Town
The Fish Cays
Moraine Cay
Allan's-Pensacola Cay
The Hog Cays
Crab Cay and Angelfish Point
The Central Abacos
Spanish Cay
A Tale of Spanish Cay
Powell Cay
Coopers Town
Manjack Cay
Green Turtle Cay
Whale Cay Passage
Don't Rock Passage
Treasure Cay
Great Guana Cay
A Tale of Great Guana Cay
Scotland Cay
Leisure Lee
The Hub of Abaco
Marsh Harbour
Regatta Time in Abaco
The Wild Horses of Abaco
Great Abaco by Car
Matt Lowe's Cay to Marsh Harbour
Man-O-WarCay
Elbow Cay
Hope Town
White Sound
Lubbers Quarters to Tilloo Cut
The Southern Abacos
Tilloo Pond
Snake Cay
Negotiating Tilloo Bank
North Bar Channel
Lynyard Cay
The Bight of Old Robinson
Little Harbour Bar
Little Harbour
Cherokee Sound
Hole in the Wall
The Biminis
Approaches to the Biminis
Great Isaac
North Bimini
North Rock
South Bimini
South Bimini to Gun Cay
Gun Cay
Cat Cay
South Cat Cay
South Cat Cay to Ocean Cay
One Halloween in Bimini
Crossing the Great
Bahama Bank
From North Rock
From Gun Cay
From Lucaya
From South Riding Rock
The Berry Islands
Approaches to the Berry Islands
Little Stirrup Cay and Great Stirrup Cay
Great Harbour Cay, Bullock's Harbour
Great Harbour Cay Marina
Hoffman's Cay, Devil's Cay
Little Harbour
Frozen Cay, Alder Cay
Bond's Cay to Bird Cay
Chub Cay, Frazer's Hog Cay
Maian Carstairs and Whale Cay
Andros
Approaches to Andros
The Joulters Cays
Morgan's Bluff and Nicoll's Town
Morgan's Bluff to Fresh Creek
The Inside Route
Fresh Creek
Fresh Creek to North Bight
The Inside Route
North Bight
Middle Bight and Mangrove Cay
South Bight
Kemps Bay
Green Cay
A Dive Too Deep
New Providence
Approaches to New Providence
Nassau
Nassau to Lyford Cay and Coral Harbour
The Southern Shore of New Providence
The Eastern Shore of New Providence
St. Peter, The Turtle Man of Nassa
New Providence to Eleuthera
Nassau to Rose Island
Rose Island to Current Island
The Pirates of Nassau

Eleuthera
Approaches to Eleuthera
The Southern Coast of Eleuthera
Powell Point
Davis Channel
Rock Sound
Tarpum Bay
Ten Bay and Runaway Bay Marina
South Palmetto Point and the Pineapple Cays
Governor's Harbour
Pelican Cay and Holmes Bay
James Cistern
Rainbow Bay
Hatchet Bay
Gregory Town
The Glass Window
Rotten Bay, The Bogues
The Current and Current Cut
Egg Island Cut
Royal Island
Spanish Weils
Ridley Head and The Devil's Backbone
Harbour Island
Appendix B: Marinas
Appendix C: Service Facilities
Appendix D: Waypoints
Appendix E: Tidal Differences in The Bahamas
Appendix F: Depth Conversion Scale
Appendix G: Metric Conversion Table
Index

Cat Island
Approaches to Cat Island
The Southern Coast
Hawk's Nest Creek
The Bight
Fernandez Bay
Smith's Bay
Bennett's Harbour
Arthur's Town and Orange Creek
Half Moon Cay
Approaches to Half Moon Cay
West Bay
The Eastern Shore and Goat Cay
References
Appendices
Appendix A: Navigational Lights