Charter--Abaco vs BVI ?

After flailing around the past few months trying to buy a boat but not really getting anywhere, we are thinking about slowing down on our boat search and are thinking about chartering again this summer.

In June 2011 we chartered a Great Harbour N37 for a week in the Abacos and really enjoyed it. I want to go back to the Abacos for two weeks this time on a FP 40' Summerland catamaran. I though it would be fun to spend more time at the places we really liked and anchor out more this time as well. My wife thinks we should try something different and wants to try the BVI.

I also found a 47 Leopard cat I can bareboat charter for 10 days leaving from Tortola through LateSail. The price is similar to the Bahamas charter, but the time is a bit shorter and the flights look to be a pain to get to Tortola. I don't have experience with a cat this big so they require I day with a captain (which I'm cool with) and I'm unfamiliar with cruising in the BVI.

Any thoughts? Am I crazy for wanting to go back to the Abacos? Does 14 days sound too long? I was not ready to leave after a week and would like more days to anchor out and spend more time at Hope Town and GTC.

I wanted to try to get my parents aboard for a few days and think they are more likely to go to the Bahamas due to the easier flights into Puerto Rico then Tortola required multiple stops and overnight flights on the return flight.

Have a good friend that has done both several times...says he prefers the Abacos.

Would trust his judgement with my life, and as hard as it is to believe..I would do the Abacos first in case I never made it to the BVI.

The Abacos are easy with more chance finding a secluded anchorage that the BVI. How many of the Cays have you visited in Abaco? We have been over several times, and may go again this spring.j

Moonstruck said:

The Abacos are easy with more chance finding a secluded anchorage that the BVI. How many of the Cays have you visited in Abaco? We have been over several times, and may go again this spring.j

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We started at Marsh Harbor, went to Great Guana, Hope Town, Treasure Cay and Elbow Cay. Couldn't go to GTC due to bareboat restriction.

Goto the abaco's , you won't regret it. 14 days should be sufficient.

psneeld said:

Have a good friend that has done both several times...says he prefers the Abacos...

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Yup. Having done both, I'd go to the Albacos. If you're sailing, it would be a toss up though.

Not sailing-- chartering a powercat. A 3.5' draft and 17.75' beam. Beam might suck in some marinas. Can't really remember however.

I'm really leaning towards the Abacos again....

cardude01 said:

Not sailing. Chartering a powercat. A little over 3' draft

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With a little over 3' of draft you'll be just fine everywhere.

N4712 said:

With a little over 3' of draft you'll be just fine everywhere.

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Excellent. Thanks. Do you ever get worried with your 5' draft in the Bahamas?

cardude01 said:

Excellent. Thanks. Do you ever get worried with your 5' draft in the Bahamas?

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You mean 6'? This will be the first year doing it with the Nordy, we'll have to watch out some places, but for the most part it's 10ft+.

N4712 said:

You mean 6'? This will be the first year doing it with the Nordy, we'll have to watch out some places, but for the most part it's 10ft+.

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Yikes! 6' !

I remember sweating trying to get into Hope Town harbor through that narrow channel. Seem to remember it being shallow as well, but looking at the chart now I see it's supposed to be 6'.

I think I was just freaking out because I didn't know what I was doing, and because I was in an expensive rented boat...

cardude01 said:

Yikes! 6' ! I remember sweating trying to get into Hope Town harbor through that narrow channel. Seem to remember it being shallow as well, but looking at the chart now I see it's supposed to be 6'. I think I was just freaking out because I didn't know what I was doing, and because I was in an expensive rented boat...

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Yeah, when we visited last summer there was an N62 on a mooring ball in the harbor so I know we can make it, just has to be slack dead high tide.

When in June were you thinking of going? We'll be there early June for a couple weeks then off to Eleuthera and the Exumas.

N4712 said:

When in June were you thinking of going? We'll be there early June for a couple weeks then off to Eleuthera and the Exumas.

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June 14-28. If I can make myself pull the trigger...

As I sit here watching ice form on my used cars in SOUTH TEXAS !!

cardude01 said:

As I sit here watching ice form on my used cars in SOUTH TEXAS !!

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:lol::lol::lol::lol: It's sunny and 75 here!

cardude01 said:

June 14-28. If I can make myself pull the trigger...

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Oh ok, where are they rented out of? Marsh?

Yes Marsh. It would be cool to hook up.

We will be the country hicks in the very European styled catamaran drinking Corona. Quite a combination...

cardude01 said:

Yes Marsh. It would be cool to hook up.

We will be the country hicks in the very European styled catamaran drinking Corona. Quite a combination...



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Yeah I'll give you a shout when were there!

Since you are more experienced try to talk them into letting you go up toward Green Turtle Cay. The Green Turtle club is good, and reat a golf cart to get all over the island. They also have mooring balls in White Sound. The best anchoring is North of Green Turtle. Manjack. Alans Pensacola, Double Breasted and several other Cays are really good.

With just a 3' 6" draft you could by playing the tides right make it through Don't Rock Channel and skip Whale Cay Passage altogether. Just be careful, and not do it with the sun in your eyes.

Moonstruck said:

Since you are more experienced try to talk them into letting you go up toward Green Turtle Cay. The Green Turtle club is good, and reat a golf cart to get all over the island. They also have mooring balls in White Sound. The best anchoring is North of Green Turtle. Manjack. Alans Pensacola, Double Breasted and several other Cays are really good.

With just a 3' 6" draft you could by playing the tides right make it through Don't Rock Channel and skip Whale Cay Passage altogether. Just be careful, and not do it with the sun in your eyes.

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I agree, we anchored for a brief lunch stop at Manjack and it was beautiful! Like Don said, just be careful at don't rock passage if you do it, and make sure you have a clear sunny day. I wouldn't worry too much, because if I remember right its all sand.

Manjack Cay

Here's a pic of my dad enjoying a microwaveable lean cuisine at anchor in Manjack cay.

N4712 said:

Here's a pic of my dad enjoying a microwaveable lean cuisine at anchor in Manjack cay.

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Cool shot!

So you and your dad work together? My dad and I worked together for quite a few years and it was a good experience for me. Don't get into fights over work with your dad though-- it's not worth the heartache.

Moonstruck said:

Since you are more experienced try to talk them into letting you go up toward Green Turtle Cay. The Green Turtle club is good, and reat a golf cart to get all over the island. They also have mooring balls in White Sound. The best anchoring is North of Green Turtle. Manjack. Alans Pensacola, Double Breasted and several other Cays are really good. With just a 3' 6" draft you could by playing the tides right make it through Don't Rock Channel and skip Whale Cay Passage altogether. Just be careful, and not do it with the sun in your eyes.

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Funny you said that. I just sent them an email with that request. Would you go outside if the weather is good or just do the Don't Rock passage?

cardude01 said:

Funny you said that. I just sent them an email with that request. Would you go outside if the weather is good or just do the Don't Rock passage?

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If the weather is good it's a total no brainer we went through it on a nice day with no problem. Just check with the locals, Spanish Cay monitors 16 so just hail them and ask chuck what the conditions are in the passage.

cardude01 said:

Cool shot! So you and your dad work together? My dad and I worked together for quite a few years and it was a good experience for me. Don't get into fights over work with your dad though-- it's not worth the heartache.

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Yep.

cardude01 said:

Funny you said that. I just sent them an email with that request. Would you go outside if the weather is good or just do the Don't Rock passage?

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I would do Whale Cay Passage if weather is good. If you don't hit one of those metal poles in the old ship channel it's a piece of cake. In a "rage" it can take you out. We usually run it at 25 to 26 knots. Sometimes we are towing our dinghy. If you want to get away from the charter boats, go north.

Shhhhhhh......

All talk of the Abaco's in a positive light must cease immediately, else they'll soon be as crowded as the BVI have become! Remember the mantra to outsiders: the water is cold and cloudy, it rains almost every day, the currents are deadly and takes too long to get there....

Truth be told, as soon as I'm finished with the resto work on Sandpiper, we plan on taking her back to the Abaco's, which is where she was when I bought her! Hoping to be done within the year.

Honestly, the Abacos HAVE changed over the years. Not as quiet and out of the way as they once were. Used to be able to anchor at Baker's a bay for the day and be the only boat there. Now the $$$ Hinckley picnic boats going in and out of "The Club" run you over. Last summer, when my son and I did a bareboat sail there, while moored in Hopetown on a Friday night, the loud, competing music from Capt Jack's and the Beach Club kept us awake until 2 AM.

All that being said, it IS a wonderful place that I do love... and I can't wait to get back!

We have spent quite a bit of time in both places, I prefer the Abacos, the BVI is just too crowded with charter boats (no offense intended).

The thing the Abacos have going for them is the ability to either go to a more populated town area like Hope Town, Man O' War or Guana, or to anchor out in seclusion, mostly north of GTC. You don't get that in the BVI.

Better bars in the BVI, but with the kids nowadays that doesn't hold the appeal for us that it used to.

Greetings,
Mr. car. Yup, 14 days IS much too long and 6 months isn't enough. With the crap blowing in from the southwest (freezing rain, snow and lord knows what else) I think I'll move there. Where? Anywhere but here. Oh, I vote Abacos...

We have some friends that live in Treasure Cay right across from the marina . We visited them a couple years ago (not by boat ) .They had a boat and carried us around to some of the islands but we mostly stayed in Treasure Cay. I liked Man O War Cay and Hope town. I would love to go back someday with my boat or even charter so we could check out everything . I have done the 10 day charter out of Tortola on a sailboat.I like the Abacos . How did chartering the GH37 go I was looking at doing that in a couple of years . I don't have any twin engine experience only sailboat and single engine trawler .

Pack Mule said:

We have some friends that live in Treasure Cay right across from the marina . We visited them a couple years ago (not by boat ) .They had a boat and carried us around to some of the islands but we mostly stayed in Treasure Cay. I liked Man O War Cay and Hope town. I would love to go back someday with my boat or even charter so we could check out everything . I have done the 10 day charter out of Tortola on a sailboat.I like the Abacos . How did chartering the GH37 go I was looking at doing that in a couple of years . I don't have any twin engine experience only sailboat and single engine trawler .

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The N37 charter was great-- I just wanted to try something different with this catamaran, plus I wanted more room. The N37 has a great master and a small guest room plus the dinette makes into a bed. We might have my parents aboard this time so we needed 3 separate bedrooms.

The twin engine setup was easy to operate, plus it had a bow thruster.

Thanks for the info on Tortola vs Bahamas. We are not as interested in the bar/party scene since our HS kids will be aboard. They saw enough drunks at nippers last time. Lol.