Abacos Loop

DAY 1 · Conch Inn and Marina

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Leave 1:00 pm

A family-run marina on the Marsh Harbour waterfront, within walking distance of the grocery and hardware stores. Finish provisioning and the chart briefing here, then slip away after lunch. Snappas on the dock is a handy first-night supper if you arrive early.

• 10:00 amProvision in townGroceries and ice are a short walk from the docks.

9 NM · about 1 h 30 mto Fisher's Bay Anchorage (Great Guana)

Fisher's Bay Anchorage (Great Guana)

Photo: Gregor Julien Straube · CC BY-SA 4.0

Arrive 3:30 pm

A sandy bay on Great Guana Cay, a short walk across the island from the Atlantic reef and the beach bars. The anchorage is comfortable in the usual east to northeast trades but open to the south and west. Take the dinghy to the dock on the north side of the bay.

• 5:00 pmWalk to the ocean sideCross the island to the beach bars and watch the sun set over the Atlantic.

18.5 NM · about 3 h 5 mto Manjack Cay Anchorage

DAY 2 · Manjack Cay Anchorage

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Arrive 11:30 am

A bay between the south end of Manjack and Crab Cay with clear sand, beach trails ashore and rays and turtles in the mangrove creeks. It is one of the best-protected anchorages in this part of the Abacos but fills up in winter. The island is private, so stay on the marked trails; there are no shops or fuel.

• 2:00 pmDinghy the mangrove creekGo in on a rising tide to see turtles and rays in shallow water.
• 4:00 pmWalk the island trailFollow the signed trail across to the ocean beach.

3 NM · about 30 mto White Sound (Green Turtle) Moorings

DAY 3 · White Sound (Green Turtle) Moorings

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Arrive 11:00 am

The sheltered northern sound of Green Turtle Cay, where most visiting boats pick up a mooring and dinghy to the beaches and the club pub. The entrance channel is marked but shallow, so a deeper-draft boat should come in at half tide or better. Check the mooring pennant before you leave the boat.

• 1:00 pmWalk to New PlymouthTake the road to the old settlement and its museum.

28.5 NM · about 4 h 45 mto Hope Town Harbour Moorings

DAY 4 · Hope Town Harbour Moorings

Photo: Roman Tokman · CC BY-SA 4.0

Arrive 2:30 pm

A nearly landlocked harbor of pastel cottages beneath the red-and-white Elbow Reef Lighthouse. There is no anchoring, only moorings, and the entrance bar is shallow, so arrive on a mid to high tide. This is the longest day of the week and the one that depends on the Whale Cay Passage being calm; if swell is running, stay another night at Green Turtle and shorten the trip.

• 5:00 pmClimb the lighthouseThe stairs lead to a view over the whole harbor and the reef.

14.5 NM · about 2 h 25 mto Little Harbour Moorings

DAY 5 · Little Harbour Moorings

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Arrive 1:30 pm

An almost landlocked harbor at the south end of the Sea of Abaco, with an artists' colony founded in 1951 and Pete's Pub ashore. The entrance carries only about 3.5 to 4.5 feet at low water, so plan to enter near high tide; most of the harbor is moorings, paid for at the pub. Turtles are common in the water.

• 3:00 pmVisit the gallery and foundryThe Johnston family bronze foundry is a short walk from the pub.
• 5:00 pmDinner at Pete's PubDinghy to the beach bar and restaurant.

2 NM · about 20 mto Lynyard Cay Anchorage

DAY 6 · Lynyard Cay Anchorage

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Arrive 11:00 am · leave 1:30 pm

A long beach-lined lee on the west side of Lynyard Cay, handy for a swim and lunch stop between Little Harbour and the northbound run. Anchor on a sand patch in 6 to 12 feet. It is well protected from north through southeast but open to the south and west.

• 11:30 amSwim and snorkelClear water along the beach; the public beach has picnic tables.

16.5 NM · about 2 h 45 mto Man-O-War Cay Harbour

Man-O-War Cay Harbour

Photo: Rüdiger Stehn · CC BY-SA 2.0

Arrive 3:30 pm

The boatbuilding village of the Albury family, set around two snug harbors behind Dickies Cay. The island is quiet, golf-cart only, and the boatyards still build Abaco dinghies. The south entrance is dredged and marked with about 5 feet at low water; stay mid-channel and take a mooring in the main north harbor.

• 4:30 pmWalk the villageVisit the sail shop and the heritage museum.

4.5 NM · about 45 mto Conch Inn and Marina

DAY 7 · Conch Inn and Marina

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Arrive 11:00 am

Return to the Conch Inn for fuel, water and the check-in with the base before handover. Allow time for a last grocery run or a lunch on the dock. The run from Man-O-War across the Sea of Abaco is short and protected.