Canadian Yachting October 2017 - 29

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1: Exuma Islands - Stocking Island Beach, George Town, Exuma.
Having a beautiful deserted beach all to yourself is possible in many places while
cruising in the Bahamas. Just over the hill and across the harbour is the George
Town settlement, the main commercial centre for the Exuma Island group, yet a
dinghy ride gives you the world to yourself. There is a small charter base in George
Town, shops for provisioning, banks as well as an international airport yet a nearby
deserted beach. Paul wanders the beach after a beach run.
Photo by Sheryl Shard

2: Exuma Islands - Sailing in the lee of the islands on flat seas.
The clarity and beautiful colours of the water in the Bahamas is a big appeal for
sailing and powerboat cruisers alike. A dream day of sailing is heading up island on
flat seas in the lee of the Exuma Island chain with a trade wind to fill the sails.
Photo by Sheryl Shard

many seasons in the Caribbean and
Bahamas over the years.
We keep coming back to the Bahamas
and Caribbean.
It is such a Paradise for Canadian
boaters! Warm steady trade winds,
turquoise seas, opportunities to sail
island-to-island on flat seas in the lee of
jewel-like island chains. If you are planning a bareboat vacation, there are
numerous charter bases to choose from
located close to international airports that
you can fly to affordably and conveniently. The water is beautiful, the swimming,
snorkeling, diving and fishing are great.
The flora and fauna you're sailing past is
resplendent. What's not to like?
If you are planning a sailing get-away
to the Bahamas and Caribbean in the
future, but can't decide where to go, here
are 5 of our favourite cruising and chartering destinations for you to consider.

3 Inset: Exuma Islands - A calm day on the Exuma Bank.
Even when there is a day with little wind, the beauty of the water in the Bahamas
makes motoring a pleasure. The banks in the Bahamas are so clear blue and shallow
they look like giant swimming pools.
Photo by Paul Shard

THE BAHAMAS
We almost missed the Bahamas completely on our first trip south in 1989. We were so
fixated on getting to the Caribbean we were ready to jump offshore at Beaufort, North
Carolina, and go straight to the Caribbean. Thankfully friends at our yacht club took
us aside and respectfully mentioned that, with our limited experience at the time, an
offshore passage to the Caribbean might be a challenging way to start our cruising life,
not to mention that we'd be missing one of the world's top cruising destinations - the
Bahamas.
We are eternally grateful to those friends for convincing us to take our time and
build our offshore experience by coastal cruising down the Eastern Seaboard of the
USA, ducking into the Intracoastal Waterway when the weather got challenging
and enjoying the stops along the route to Florida. From there we made the jump
across the Gulf Stream for our first of many winters of cruising in the amazingly
beautiful islands of the Bahamas.
The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation of island
groups that became independent from the United Kingdom in 1973, but still retains
membership in the Commonwealth of Nations, recognizing Queen Elizabeth II as
monarch and having a Governor-General and Prime Minister. As Canadians with a
similar parliamentary system, things feel somewhat familiar here.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting October 2017
