Cruise Abaco
Cruise Abaco
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About
Owner operated charter company offering day sails and multiple day live aboard charters on boats ranging from 30 to 55 feet in length. Boats available for bareboat charter or try our unique "Captain by day, Bareboat by night" option if you lack boating experience. The Captain is with you by day, sailing, exploring, snorkeling and each evening leaves you safely moored , anchored or docked to enjoy the evening to yourself. You have a dingy with outboard to explore on your own and the Captain returns the next morning and off you go to a different destination and adventure. We also offer American sailing Association courses with certified Instructors so you may learn and come back and bareboat next time! Many students return year after year and charter from us. We take your vacation seriously and treat it like it is our own, we strive to make sure everyone has a great time!
Marsh Harbour, Bahamas
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2023
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
211 reviews
Excellent
204
Very good
3
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
3
Andrea
Miami, FL2 contributions
Jun 2021
We had a wonderful family vacation and a fantastic bareboat charter experience! Cruise Abaco charter company was excellent in every way, absolutely everyone there was very helpful at all times, we highly recommend them! Our sailboat Pretty Lady was beautiful and sailed like a charm. Lovely and dreamy Islands. We are very grateful to everyone in Cruise Abaco. Best time ever!
Written July 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Noah C
Fort Lauderdale, FL21 contributions
Feb 2022
Great company: Excellent communication. Upfront and fair prices. Sea of Abaco is an amazing sailing destination that is under appreciated - barely turned on our engine the whole week and sailed around at 7- 9+ knots everywhere we went. Special thank you to Brian and Calvin for the hands on attention.
Written March 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KMac4949
Washington DC, DC1 contribution
Jan 2022 • Family
My family spent a week cruising with Captain Joe on a 41’ monohull. The boat was in excellent condition. Captain Joe is an excellent instructor and a really nice person. My husband and I completed our ASA 104 course along the way. The whole family appreciated Captain Joe’s itinerary planning because we got to see some truly beautiful islands, always working with the weather we had. It was a wonderful trip.
Written January 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jerry L
1 contribution
Jan 2023 • Family
We have bareboat chartered 20+ plus times over the years and this was by far the worst experience. Highly recommend either Moorings or Dream Yacht over these guys. After we spent $30,000+\- on this vacation the company elected to cancel our bareboat charter mid way through the trip. The reason for the cancellation: The owner of the boat was upset about 1. an area “don’t rock passage” that we went through in order to stay out of the rough waters in the Atlantic.This passage enabled us to keep everyone safe, but apparently this company wants kids and senior citizens to go out into the rough ocean. We conferred with local captains in Hope town and Little Harbour about the best route to Green Turtle and they all agreed the don’t rock passage was the safest for our crew. We researched on the cruise abaco guide (that was supplied by the charter company) for the safest passage and it also said the don’t rock was the safest route assuming safe and clear conditions. We had both. We along with other boats made the passage with no issues. We always maintained 6plus feet of water depth. It appears they are able to cancel a charter anytime via the contract they make you sign, but it is a bad business clause. 2. The dingy motor unfortunately fell off due to the company improperly installing it. They tried to blame us for towing the dingy as the reason it fell off. Anyone with a large boat knows that’s towing a dingy from swimming hole to swimming hole is normal. It fell off due to improper installation by the charter company. We tried to call the manager to discuss the forced cancellation of the bareboat charter, but he didn’t answer nor call us back. Safe travels, but use a different charter company. Cheers!
Written January 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We’re not going to talk negatively about anyone on here, just simply state the facts.
All these simultaneous 1 Star reviews are the same person getting his friends and family to Review. This is one single trip and incident.
The vessel was taken through a very dangerous area known as Don’t Rock passage which is off limits to our charters. The guest said that going around Whale Cay in the Atlantic Ocean was too dangerous so he decided to pass through Don’t Rock after reading the Cruising Guide and talking to several captains. The boat went through a sand bar marked between 1-3’ of depth during dead low tide in a boat with a draft of 4.3’. No captain in Abaco would EVER advise to do this. The Cruising Guide that is referenced in the review states this passage is “Treacherous”, “should not be attempted in a boat with more than a 3-4’ draft even at high tide. The captain put not only the vessel but the entire crew onboard at risk.
The review states that it was too dangerous to go around the shallow area in the Atlantic Ocean.
Readers:
If you feel something is too dangerous you simply choose not to go! 100% of the time you turn around and wait for calmer water. Abaco has a ton of beauty to see, putting your vessel and your life in danger because you’re determined to see one more island is NEVER worth it. This is not just my opinion, but it’s the opinion of the Cruising Guide authors, all local captains, Cruise Abacos rules, and spoken about in every boater safety, sailing or captains course. If it’s unsafe and it’s not an emergency, don’t attempt it.
The vessel was given to the guest with the dinghy in the properly stored position while underway which is up on its electronic lift system. This was fully demonstrated during our sail check when we put a captain onboard at the beginning of the trip and the guest operated the vessel from Marsh Harbour to Hope Town. The entire time we demonstrated the dinghy being stored on the lift while underway and taken down and off only while at mooring or anchorage. We do not allow dinghies to be towed because they get damaged and the risk of the bow line getting caught in the prop if the boat needs to quickly reverse puts the operators and the vessel at high risk. Very common practice in the industry and the rule at every charter company we’re familiar with. We showed the guest where the dinghy is to be stowed. Instead of simply following the rules the dinghy was towed behind the boat at 23.5kts. We have a clear label on the throttle with a maximum RPM of 2200 to protect the integrity of the motors. This charter pinned the throttle in max speed many times, also while dragging a dinghy. The result, the outboard motor was ripped off and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Additionally, underway while the swim ladder was down.
The total cost to us of the motor loss is almost $7,500.
In our best effort to protect the guests and the vessel, we should have cancelled the charter. BUT WE DID NOT. We required that our captain be onboard only when the vessel needed to be moved to the next and final destination. The captain does not stay onboard, sleep onboard, join the guests in their activities, simply get onboard when it’s time to depart the mooring and head to the next and final destination and steer the boat. At this point the guests abandoned the vessel 26.7 miles from our marina and never even put gas in it. Additionally, although I’ve never had to do it before, our contract clearly states that if we feel the guests demonstrate poor seamanship we can require a captain for the remainder of the trip.We even offered the captain for free.
The entirety of the charter was disputed with the credit card company. Zero of the lost motor cost was paid. Zero of the $1110 in fuel was paid. This is a small family owned and operated business and we are out over $20,000.
I hate that this happened but we also can’t sit by and watch someone risk their lives and do nothing.
Written March 16, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Donna F
3 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
We went for 2 weeks, first week we did the captain by day, barefoot by night with captain Joe and took all the ASA sailing exams, then the second week we sailed alone. It was an absolutely amazing trip, we were confident by the end of the first week that we could sail the second week alone. Captain Joe was awesome, he taught us really well but with lots of stories and great fun! Our teenage daughters loved every minute and before the trip was over we had booked another week next spring. It is a beautiful place, wonderful staff and captain Joe was awesome, cannot recommend enough!
Written November 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael H
Annapolis, MD1 contribution
Feb 2023
We chartered 3 boats for two weeks with a total of 4 skippers and 31 crew.
The team at Cruise Abaco gave us a great deal of personal attention - far more than the larger charter companies we have used before.
This is a small business with friendly staff that truly cares about their customers.
The boats are well maintained and expertly cleaned. The checkouts and briefing are far superior to any others we've had.
Excellent job Cruise Abaco !!
Skipper Mike H and the Team at J-World Annapolis
The team at Cruise Abaco gave us a great deal of personal attention - far more than the larger charter companies we have used before.
This is a small business with friendly staff that truly cares about their customers.
The boats are well maintained and expertly cleaned. The checkouts and briefing are far superior to any others we've had.
Excellent job Cruise Abaco !!
Skipper Mike H and the Team at J-World Annapolis
Written March 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt K
8 contributions
Mar 2021
The crew at Cruise Abaco were absolutely amazing! They were incredibly helpful in navigating the COVID restrictions as well as the harbors of the Bahamas! Mark, Brian, Joe, and Bonnie and the rest of the staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and very quick to respond with any questions or concerns. We chartered Sea Clearly and she was beautiful, stocked with everything we needed for the trip and she sailed like a dream! We were so pleased that we are scheduled to return in July to join the Golf Stream crossing. I have never chartered with any other company, but I can tell you that Cruise Abaco has set the bar for me! The only regret was that we didn't stay longer.. We were just hitting our stride on day 4...
Written March 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travis1892
Atlanta, GA3 contributions
Jul 2021
We had a great week with Cruise Abaco. Our party was 2 families of 4 on a 44ft catamaran with the day captain option. All of the staff we dealt with were great, from the owner Mark who met us upon arrival to Captains Joe and Tony who made sure we had an amazing experience. Captain Joe worked with us on a float plan that agreed with everyone and was happy to teach us as much as we wanted to learn during the week. Having the boat to ourselves from late afternoon on was great and we felt well prepared to manage all the necessary systems. It was great to see the Abacos recovering from Dorian. Lot's of new construction and a good selection of restaurants and grocery options available. We can't wait to go back!
Written July 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Buzz
Killington, VT5 contributions
May 2022
Cruised on a chartered sailboat the Abacos region of the Bahamas with Cruise Abaco (CA) in early May.
We went to learn to be able to skipper a bareboat charter in the future. We completed three American Sailing Association courses during the week.
Captain Joe of CA was an incredible teacher. He made the whole experience fun, safe and educational. My wife said Captain Joe renewed her love of sailing.
We had four individuals learning from Captain Joe with highly varied sailing experience levels ranging from a lot of experience to very little. He was patient, informative and skillful in making all of us comfortable and learning the material completely.
By day we sailed, practiced docking and mooring, learn the systems on the boat, rules of right away and laughed a lot. During the afternoons and evenings we snorkeled, explore beaches and marina towns and had great food that we prepared and/or at restaurants and beach bars.
The CA team was very helpful with all requests including some strange ones over COVID documentation.
We will be back to the Abacos to use our new skills bareboat cruising soon and certainly with Cruise Abaco.
Thank you Captain Joe!
We went to learn to be able to skipper a bareboat charter in the future. We completed three American Sailing Association courses during the week.
Captain Joe of CA was an incredible teacher. He made the whole experience fun, safe and educational. My wife said Captain Joe renewed her love of sailing.
We had four individuals learning from Captain Joe with highly varied sailing experience levels ranging from a lot of experience to very little. He was patient, informative and skillful in making all of us comfortable and learning the material completely.
By day we sailed, practiced docking and mooring, learn the systems on the boat, rules of right away and laughed a lot. During the afternoons and evenings we snorkeled, explore beaches and marina towns and had great food that we prepared and/or at restaurants and beach bars.
The CA team was very helpful with all requests including some strange ones over COVID documentation.
We will be back to the Abacos to use our new skills bareboat cruising soon and certainly with Cruise Abaco.
Thank you Captain Joe!
Written May 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Llhanratty
Marblehead, MA9 contributions
May 2021
We had a 2 families, a party of 9, for a day cruise and do some island hopping. Captain Joe and Shorty were great! They welcomed us onto a beautiful, well maintained Cat. We were very comfortable on board. We were able to visit a few locations, snorkel, fish and have lunch at Firefly in HopeTown. It was a great day of sailing and seeing some other parts of the Bahamas!
Written May 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TPB
Canada41 contributions
Do you offer day cruising trips? We would like to see the other Cays around Abaco and also snorkel. Would like a boat that offers shade. Thank you.
Laurie vB
2 contributions
I believe they do offer day trips but if you want to see the other Cays I think chartering a boat for the week is your best bet. We traveled to a different Cay each day.
Tommy U
Riverview13 contributions
I’m interested in the captain by day charters, does the rate online include the entire boat for myself or this just for 1 cabin
Laurie vB
2 contributions
We recently did the captain by day option. There is an additional charge for that on top of the cost of chartering the boat, but well worth it since none in our party could captain a boat of that size. Our captain was Amber and she was awesome, I highly recommend requesting her if you go. She met us at the boat every morning, sailed us to our next destination, made recommendations on what to do and where to eat where we were (and even made reservations for restaurants, golf cart rentals, etc), and then left to take the ferry back to Marsh Harbor, usually late afternoon. The whole experience was great and I can't recommend it enough!
lhholl
New Orleans, LA
Do you also do bareboat charters with motor yachts?
Reginald B
Grosse Pointe, MI2 contributions
We typically charter sailing yachts. I did notice Cruise Abaco now has motor catamarans. Looks like fun for anyone who doesn’t want to sail.
PippoM69
Geneva, Switzerland1 contribution
Hi,
We are a party of 9, staying at Treasure Cay, that would like to enjoy a private full day Tour around the islands, visiting Tahiti beach on Elbow Cay, the Pelicans Cay and especially his reef for snorkeling.
Do you have availability between April 2-4th ?
Regards,
Mr Motta
Mark G
Indialantic, FL7 contributions
Hello, Bonnie received your request and is checking on availability and will respond to you today at some point. Regards, Mark
lawrence7202018
Westminster, MD
Hello Mark. We have booked a Charter for late July, I have noticed on a review that it cost an extra $250.00 to leave the Marsh harbor vicinity ?? This fee was not mentioned to me at time of booking.
James C
Charlottesville, VA24 contributions
I agree with the previous answer. The area for cruising is more than just the area around Marsh Harbour. We were there for a week and stayed at a different location each night. Little Harbour was our favorite but all were great. Seems like plenty to see in the area you can sail. The passage to get north of Whale Cay is a difficult one it appears even in good weather, and I assume the extra charge is related to the higher insurance. It is stated in the contract. And even if you do pay that amount, if the seas are rough, they may revoke the right to sail there (but will refund your money). We had a great experience with Cruise Abaco and can’t wait to charter from them again.
Asantewaa D
Orlando, FL13 contributions
Do you pick up guest from the Nassau cruise port?
Mark G
Indialantic, FL7 contributions
Hello, We are located in Abaco, it is a 30 minute flight from Nassau and our cruising grounds are there. If you find yourself over here would love to have you! Best, Mark & Patti
JannD
Los Angeles32 contributions
I'm considering a one week charter in March of next year but wondering about the weather. Will the water be warm enough to enjoy swimming and snorkeling - or is it better to wait until June?
Mark G
Indialantic, FL7 contributions
Absolutely March is great and June too! Come on down! Water clear and beautiful!
topcop2004
Kansas City, MO5 contributions
We are considering staying in Guana Cay Feb of 2016 and would like to charter a boat for several days (perhaps not consecutively). There will be 12 adults (age 60), one member a navy guy with sailing experience. Would you be willing to come pick us up for these daily excursions? I think we will be staying near Nipper's Bay. We are a group who have traveled together - Guatemala 2014/New Zealand 2015. Also - I notice that Feb is off season….is there a reason? We can be flexible with our timing.
Mark G
Indialantic, FL7 contributions
Hello, That is no problem and we can do day charters. Best to email us and we can look into what would work best. Feb is a great month here. Thanks and look forward to having you as our guests!Patti
Amy H
2 contributions
We have booked our vacation in June. Do most of the boats have DVD players? Don't laugh but can we plug in to charge our devices?
Maybe even a curling iron?
Also, Is there enough water for us to shower each day?
Mark G
Indialantic, FL7 contributions
Yes most boats have DVD players, you can use a curling iron although here in Abaco we go for dingy rides to dry and style our hair!
Yes plenty of water to shower every day and you can fill up at marinas along the way.
Cruise Abaco - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Cruise Abaco Information
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