The Bahamas Cruising Guide for the Questions That Are Hard to Answer Out Here

The Bahamas Sailing & Cruising Guide is a quick-reference book for cruisers that answers the everyday questions the Bahamas makes surprisingly hard: where's the nearest ATM, who refills propane, where can you legally drop trash, which settlement has a marine store, where do you shelter from a storm, and which anchorage is protected from tonight's wind. It covers all the Bahamas island groups, from Grand Bahama and the Abacos south through the Exumas, Long Island, and the far-out islands (Jumentos, Ragged, Acklins, Mayaguana, and Great Inagua), and is current as of the September 2025 edition. Information is arranged by topic first, then by location in north-to-south order, so the closest option to you is easy to find, in clear tables you scan instead of paragraphs you read.

It's built to ride alongside the charts you already carry. This isn't a navigation chartbook and doesn't try to be; it's the fast logistics-and-services layer for the moments when you need a practical answer right now.

The Information That's Genuinely Hard to Find in the Bahamas

Out in the islands, the things that eat a cruiser's day aren't on most charts, or they're buried in a settlement-by-settlement narrative you have to read through. This guide pulls them into tables you can scan by service:

• ATMs: cash is accepted everywhere in the out-islands, but ATMs are not. They don't exist in every town or on every island, and the nearest working one can be a hundred miles away. The guide shows which settlements actually have one, so you can top up before heading somewhere that has none, and it flags that ATMs can be down when you get there.
• Propane refills: finding a place that refills your tank (not just exchanges a 20-pounder) is a recurring headache. The guide lists where to refill by settlement, often with the local contact and the day it happens.
• Marine supply stores: when something breaks, the first question is whether there's a marine store anywhere nearby or whether you're shipping the part in. The guide shows which settlements have one so you know your options before you commit to a stretch of remote islands.
• Trash disposal: many settlements have limited or scheduled trash drop-off, and some charge per bag. The guide notes where and how you can get rid of it.
• Plus, by settlement: fuel (gas and diesel), water, groceries, liquor, restaurants and bars, laundry, and SIM cards for a local number or data.

Anchorages by the Wind Direction You Actually Need

In the Bahamas the prevailing easterlies mean E-protected anchorages are everywhere. The problem comes when a front swings the wind to the west, north, or south and the well-protected spots suddenly become scarce, often right when you're scrambling to find one before it arrives. Every anchorage in the guide is rated for protection from each direction (north, east, south, and west columns), so you can run your eye down the column for tonight's wind and stop at a spot that works, rather than discovering at anchor that you're exposed. Each anchorage also lists depth, holding, current, swell, a dog-walking rating, and notes, and uses its Active Captain name where one exists so you can search it in a navigation app such as Aqua Map, Garmin, or Navionics and go straight there.

Storm Shelter and Haulouts

Two sections answer the bigger problems. Storm Holes lists the most protected spots in the Bahamas with approach and anchoring depths and candid notes on holding, so you know your options well before a system is bearing down. Haulouts covers the few boatyard facilities that exist in the islands, with lift capacity, maximum beam, and where listed, maximum length, draft, DIY policy, and whether you can stay aboard, for when a problem puts you out of the water and you need a yard that can handle your boat.

Clearing In and Crossing Over

For first-timers, the two big unknowns are the crossing and clearing customs. The Customs & Immigration section gives where to clear in by island with phone numbers, locations, and hours, plus current procedures including Click2Clear, dress-code expectations, firearm rules, and the latest cruising-permit, fishing-license, and anchoring-fee changes. Every copy also includes a link to The Boat Galley's free Bahamas crossing guide for planning the Gulf Stream passage over and back, and a 20% discount on select Aqua Map chart packages.

How to Use It

1. Go to the right section: tabs let you jump to anchorages, customs, marinas, services, haulouts, cuts, or storm holes.
2. Find your location: within each section, entries run by island group and roughly north to south.
3. Read across the columns: scan the row for the detail you need, whether that's west-wind protection, a propane refill, an ATM, or lift capacity.

Every Edition Fully Re-Checked

A banner on the cover tells you when the information was last confirmed, so you can see at a glance how current your copy is. Every entry is reconfirmed for each new edition rather than simply reprinted. The information is verified through personal cruising experience, company websites, charts, reports from other boaters, and direct phone calls to marinas, boatyards, stores, and government offices, with the door held open for late changes right up until the edition uploads to the printer, so nothing known to be out of date goes to press. That diligence matters most for the fastest-moving details in this guide: customs and immigration procedures and fees, fuel and propane availability, and the cut conditions that shift with the sand.

Cuts and Passages

The Cuts section lists the named cuts and passages with latitude/longitude waypoints, current strength, and notes that flag VPR (visual piloting) areas and the conditions that produce dangerous "rages" when wind opposes current, so you know what to expect before committing to a route.

Available Right Now, No Mailing Address Needed

Sometimes you realize you're about to enter water you have no reference for and you want the guide today. Sometimes you're a week or a month out but moving too often to have anything shipped to a marina, or you don't use marinas at all. Either way, an electronic edition puts the guide in your hands immediately, with no shipping address, and it travels with you wherever the boat goes.

Choose the format that fits how you cruise:

• PDF: downloads instantly, with clickable section tabs, searchable bookmarks, and tappable phone numbers and links. Load it on every device aboard.
• Kindle: downloads instantly and reads in the Kindle app you already know, syncing across your devices.
• Spiral-bound print: 8.5" x 5.5", lay-flat binding on heavyweight paper, for paper at the helm.
• Print + PDF bundle: paper aboard plus the searchable electronic copy on your tablet.

Details

• Coverage: all Bahamas island groups, from Grand Bahama and the Abacos south through the Exumas, Long Island, Jumentos, Ragged, Acklins, Mayaguana, and Great Inagua
• Edition: September 2025; every entry re-verified each edition
• Sections: Important, Customs & Immigration, Anchorages, Marinas/Moorings/Free Docks, Services, Haulouts, Cuts & Passages, Storm Holes
• Hard-to-find services located by settlement: ATMs, propane refills, marine supply, trash disposal, fuel, water, groceries, liquor, restaurants/bars, laundry, SIM cards
• Anchorage data: protection by direction (N/E/S/W), depth, holding, current, swell, dog walking, and notes
• Storm holes: approach depth, anchoring depth, and holding notes
• Haulouts: lift capacity, maximum beam, and where listed max length, draft, DIY policy, stay-aboard policy
• Cuts data: latitude/longitude waypoints, current strength, VPR and rage warnings
• Formats: Spiral-Bound Print, PDF download, Print + PDF Combo, and Kindle
• Print dimensions: 8.5" × 5.5", lay-flat spiral binding; approximately 0.6 pounds
• PDF features: clickable section tabs, searchable bookmarks, clickable phone/website links, linked overview map, loadable on multiple devices
• Anchorage naming: Active Captain names, compatible with Aqua Map, Garmin, and Navionics
• Included with every copy: 20% discount on select Aqua Map chart packages and a link to the free Bahamas crossing guide
• Origin: designed and printed in the USA