Winter in the Bahamas

[GordMay]

A Couple of Bahamas Weather Tips:
* Winter cold fronts are often preceded by strong southwesterly winds, and come through as a strong, precipitous westerly, then nor'wester. Then winds often clock to a nor'easter, and blow hard for days.
* "Squeeze plays", between large areas of high, and large areas of low pressure, may set up strong winds, usually from the east, for several days.

[singlespeed]

There are any number of great cruising guides for the Bahamas down to Trinidad. They can provide very useful information in good anchorages and anchorage safe from crime, as well as food sourcing availability. A reliable internet connection is a must for observing coming adverse weather and planning a route to avoid it. We loved the many small islands in the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos, the residents aren't jaded and friendly, the water is startlingly clear, but I enjoy a pre-breakfast and post dinner swim. Locals warn you to swim only between 10:00AM and 4:00 PM, when the sharks are in deeper waters. We saw more than 10 large sharks under our anchored boat one calm afternoon in Clarencetown, Long Island, more than we saw the entire eleven years of active full time cruising in the Eastern Carribean. Shark sightings were extremely rare, whales, turtles and dolphins were frequent.

And my wife was like yours. Her idea of heaven was lounging on the beach with a cold drink in hand, served by the hotel staff. By the end of our first year, she was the one agitating to keep moving, there was so much to see and do.

[Amapola]

As others have said, winter in the Bahamas can be dicey due to the cyclical cold fronts. It gets too cold in the Abacos for my liking so we go further south in the winters. There's always a large gathering of friendly people in Georgetown, Exumas.

[Cheyne]

We have three winters under our belt in the Bahamas. We have found we like to run south to Georgetown right away and then as the winter goes on we start working our way back north. We use Georgetown as our base to run over to Long Island or up further in the Exumas with an eye on the weather and we go back to Georgetown for bad weather.

Georgetown also has a great water source at the dinghy dock by the grocery store that is free. We normally wouldn't need it, but our watermaker packed up this past year about 1/2 through the season.

Cheyne

[ka4wja]

elbobo69,
Wintering on-shore in the Bahamas?
Not knowing how long you desire to stay (when you write "winter in the Bahamas", that doesn't narrow it down too much), nor what your budget is....it is difficult to make specific recommends (but, I will try anyway).

Originally Posted by elbobo69

That sounds like a fantastic tour. I'd love to do just that. I may charter a boat later this year to get a feel for the area. That said, getting an apartment (Exumas) may suit my spouse better! But being there without a boat would probably drive me batty, though I am shopping. Thank you!

1) First off, a few facts:
The farther south (and southeast) you go, the better the winter weather will be.
Meaning the less influence continental weather will have / less influence from Cold Fronts, etc....
Specifically, getting south of 25* is important, and when south of 24*N, the effect / impact of the Cold Fronts are small and many times they dissipate / fall-apart as they are warmed by the Gulf Stream, and warm waters of the SW N. Atlantic / Bahamian waters, etc....
And by 24*N to 23*N you're just about always in tropical weather....
You'd be amazed by the difference in winter weather between the Abacos and the Exumas....just the 150 - 200 mile difference is like "winter" versus "spring-time" (sometimes 20+ degrees F warmer, with a warm breeze)

{BTW, instead of actually paying-attention-to the weather, I've heard boats scramble off the docks at Staniel and/or be looking for good holding for a north wind in the lee of a couple small Cays, or head down to Black Point, etc....when awaiting the wind-clocking of an approaching Cold Front....only for everyone to see the Front fall-apart....(some were listening to weather out-of Nassau and the Abaco's)...
Although, even there in central Exuma's you DO need to watch-out for those Cold Fronts, 'cuz a strong one WILL move through, and can bring blustery conditions (and of course a big wind shift!).}


2) There are many "vacation rentals" / air b-n-b's, etc...and some have boats/run-abouts at the dock for you...some have golf carts, etc...though, be advised that food is expensive (compared to US Mainland prices) and some may provide "provisioning" for a fee....or you'll be buying food locally...

There are also long-term resort rentals (where you'll usually eat in their restaurant every day), such as bungalows, cottages, etc...these will, many times, also have a small boat / runabout (Boston Whaler's, etc.) available for you (usually for an extra fee)....or you can charter on an "as-needed" basis from a few locales.

So, you just may be able to please your spouse AND yourself....just depends on your budget.


3) You'll usually find prices in Abaco's to be less than Exuma's....(not just 'cuz of the weather, but also due to the infrastructure / rebuilding, etc.)


4) If you desire a specific recommend (notwithstanding the fact that we don't know many specifics of your plans / desires), you should have a look at Staniel Cay Yacht Club....
my first experience there was from one of our first cruises thru the Bahamas in 1966....yep, back when I was a kid in the 1960's...and, in the late 60's and early 70's, we used to stuff T-shirts in the pockets of their billiard table, so we could play pool for hours for just 25 cents! Ah, those were the days....we'd spend a week or so anchored (Bahamian-moored) up in Warderick Wells, snorkeling, diving, beach cook-outs, etc., and NEVER see another soul, except for the occasional local Bahamian fisherman, put-putting through looking to sell some of their catch (for cash), which we'd always do....then if we needed water or fresh food, we'd head to Staniel for a day or two...sorry, I digress....

It is currently owned/run by the son (David Hocher?) of one of the founders...
Low-key, relaxed, island-time-type place....NOT a 5-star, corporate-run resort!
https://stanielcay.com/
https://stanielcay.com/contact/about...ay-yacht-club/

https://stanielcay.com/vacation-rentals/
https://stanielcay.com/rentals-charters/
https://stanielcay.com/getting-here/



I hope this helps?

Fair winds.
John

[bullislandken]

If you do have a boat in the Bahamas, get the set (3) of Bahamas Explorer Charts. They have a lot of valuable info like a guide book but they are also the best paper charts I have ever used. Pricey now. Was 120 bucks for all three in 2001 but now more like $350 US.

[merrydolphin]

I agree with many. Eleuthera or Georgetown better than the Abacos. The further out island you go, the better the winter weather. Less and weaker fronts. Abacos is like being in S FL. You can get some nasty fronts there. Shifting winds chase you around trying to find protection.

[Gliderpilot]

Hi, sailing in the Bahamas is magical. My experience over the past 10 seasons has been to be south during December through February. So be south of Staniel Cay as the cold fronts often do not penetrate much further south than that. Which means warmer more stable weather. Yes there are exceptions but that is my experience. Then in March through May spend time in the central and northern areas north of Staniel Cay as the frequency of the cold fronts decrease. A favorite in those areas is Eleuthera especially if you are land based.
Here is a link to an article that has some insights into sailing in the Bahamas during the winter.

https://cloudstocoral.com/2019/11/po...3-the-bahamas/
Cheers

[deblen]

Have never been there. Don't know the people. Watched the construction of resort on HGTV?. Looks like a nice,quiet,secluded area,pop. of S.Andros-2000.
Nothing much to do,except relax ,do little,think,plan,do or do not...YMMV


South Andros : https://www.caerulamar.com/island/


Cheers/Len

[elbobo69]

Many thanks to everyone who has given their thoughts and advice!
Bob