It’s a delight pootling around the Med. Africa and the Seychelles are stunning, and adventures are yours every day in the remarkable oceans that surround Australia. But Florida and the Bahamas? Sailing these exotic waters must be one of the most pleasurable luxury yachting experiences you can have on the ocean wave.
Welcome to our feature about yacht share in Florida and the Bahamas. Life on board really doesn’t get much better than this. No wonder it’s fast becoming one of our best-loved boat share destinations.
The magic of yacht share in Florida
Florida is a tropical paradise. Take Key West, a legendary destination for day yachting. Gorgeous waters, amazing sunsets and sunrises, friendly locals and the ultimate in luxury at every turn. The local cuisine is quite something and the town itself is fun as well as spotlessly attractive. This is a great place for snorkelling, cruising into the sunset with a glass of something cool in your hand, jet-skiing and parasailing, and visiting historic house and gardens. There are some fantastic museums too, including the Shipwreck Treasure Museum.
Punta Gorda was hit hard by Hurricane Charley. Luckily the place has been beautifully renovated since then. It’s particularly beautiful seen from the water, and the waters there are unusually calm.
Fort Lauderdale offers a mammoth 300 miles of waterways to explore. This place is rich in fascinating history, the ‘Venice of America’, and while it can get crowded, the architecture and the art make it well worthwhile.
Lovely St. Augustine is another coastal Florida destination rich in culture and art. Haunted hotels, sea shell shops, great places to eat, it’s perfect. And the town’s famous lemonade and candies make life even better. There’s also plenty of lively nightlife and lots of natural attractions.
You’ll find Islamorada south of Miami, a bunch of magical islands that attract world class fishermen. It’s known and loved for being the sports fishing capital of the world and is also home to the planet’s biggest fishing fleet, an awesome sight in itself.
St. Petersburg makes for wonderful sailing, delivering one of the world’s most fun offshore experiences simply because the water is so super-calm. Like most Floridian destinations, the sunsets are absolutely spectacular here. In fact they’re so astonishing they’re actually hard to describe. It’s something you need to see for yourself!
Pensacola lies in Florida’s far south, a place of pure white sandy beaches and dreamlike landscapes of vivid emerald green. If you dislike theme parks you’ll love it – there isn’t a single theme park in sight. The boating scene is brilliant here, with everything you could possibly need as a sailor. Palm Beach is equally stunning, with world-class fishing and sports fishing on tap. Plus there are the always-calm waters of the Intracoastal Waterway to enjoy as well.
Experience The Bahamas by sea
The Bahamas, under an hour from Florida, make a fantastic factional yacht ownership destination, the perfect complement to Florida itself. The waters are clear and blue, the beaches are legendary, the history is rich in tales of piracy and ocean adventure, and the archipelago is only a couple of hours from Washington and New York.
You’re treated to adventures on and around more than 700 different islands, complete with wonderful swimming and spectacular snorkelling. The fishing is some of the world’s best. And many of the beaches are completely secluded. Just 30 of the islands are populated and 70% of Bahamanian people live in the capital, Nassau.
The climate here is tropical savannah, involving a hot wet season and a warm dry season. The resulting weather is warm and winter-less, the air temperature rarely falls below 10 °C, and there has never been a frost. On average you’ll enjoy more than 340 days of sunlight every year.
Cities like Nassau provide the best imaginable shopping, dining, entertainment and attractions and, of course, the sunsets here are just as spectacular as they are along the Florida coast itself. The Abacos and Exumas provide some of the planet’s best waters for boating and sailing. You’ll discover tiny, sleepy fishing villages and secluded beaches, beautiful coral reefs and many, many islands to explore, each with its own unique character.
The islands are home to the famous Bahamas swimming pigs. Many of the idyllic beaches feature pale pink sands. The magic goes on and on, with Freeport and Andros, Bimini, Paradise Island, the Berry Islands, Eleuthera and Harbour Island, The Exumas, Run Cay, Ragged Island, Cat Island, San Salvador and more to discover. As you can imagine, the views from your boat to the shores of these magical islands are amazing. This is not a place you visit then forget. It’s a place you visit time and time again. You’ll never get bored.
Here’s a quick snapshot of some of the main islands.
- Freeport Grand Bahama is bustling and lively
- Sail to the Berry Islands for unbeatable, unspoiled wildlife
- Andros is big but empty, a place of blue holes, coral reefs and underwater wrecks
- Bimini offers some of the world’s best fishing along with thrilling dives
- Cat Island, the highest point in the Bahamas, is perfect for hiking and watersports
- Visit Rum Cay for secret surf and ancient artworks
- Inagua is brilliant for birdwatching
- Mayaguana is an isolated island rich in solitude
- San Salvador is packed with history, lovely freshwater lakes, blue holes and natural parks
- Come to Long Island for exceptional bonefishing, and the planet’s deepest blue hole
- Acklins and crooked Island is charmingly laid back, home to secluded getaways and the pretty little town of Long Cay
- The Bahamas’ amazing swimming pigs live on The Exumas!
- The Abacos is the boating capital of the Bahamas
- Long is;land is home to the world’s second biggest blue hole
- Ragged Island is brilliant for angling and the main town, Duncan Town, is quaint
Get on board with yacht share in Florida and The Bahamas
If you’d like to take advantage of this wonderful region, with its countless exotic attractions and tropical delights, we’ll be pleased to discuss the options with you. Your life will never be the same again… in the best possible way!
