7-day Exumas cruising itinerary: day-by-day legs, miles and stops from charter operators

Charter operators publish several versions of the week, and the routes do not match. This page sets them side by side with the miles each one states. Treat every route as a sample: tides, wind and a free ball or anchorage will move it. For a motoring plan built around the park fees, see the Exumas 7 day itinerary.

What does a 7-day Exumas cruising itinerary look like?

12knots publishes the one week that gives miles and hours for every leg. It runs from Nassau to the Exumas and back, 135 nautical miles in total¹. It numbers the sail home as day 8¹.

Day	Leg to	Miles	Hours under sail	What the itinerary adds
Day 2	Highbourne Cay	30 nm	8 hours	Snorkel the Octopus Garden reef at Horseshoe Bay1
Day 3	Warderick Wells	27 nm	7 hours	Hike the seven miles of trails ashore1
Day 4	Compass Cay	10 nm	3 hours	Get into the water with nurse sharks1
Day 5	Shroud Cay	25 nm	6 hours	None listed1
Day 6	Norman’s Cay	4 nm	1 hour	None listed1
Day 7	Wax Cay	1 nm	1 hour	Snorkel around the cay1
Day 8	Nassau	38 nm	10 hours	The sail home1

The seven legs add up: 30, 27, 10, 25, 4, 1 and 38 nautical miles make 135¹. Warderick Wells holds the park headquarters; see the Warderick Wells page for the call to make before you pick up a ball.

How far is each leg on other operators’ routes?

Other operators list different miles for the same legs, so plan a margin. Yanpy and Yacht Warriors publish their own versions of the week^4,5.

Leg	12knots	Yanpy	Yacht Warriors
Nassau to Highbourne Cay	30 nm1	34 nm, via Allen Cay4	About 35 nm over the Yellow Banks5
South into the park	27 nm to Warderick Wells1	26 nm to Warderick Wells4	20 to 25 nm south to the park anchorages5
To Norman’s Cay	4 nm1	7 nm4	Not listed
Back to Nassau	38 nm1	38 nm4	Not listed

Yacht Warriors describes the first crossing as a long day on the water⁵. Compass Cay is a short sail of 1 to 2 hours on its week⁵. The Shroud Cay river ride is only passable on a mid or high tide⁵.

The north tidal creek on Shroud Cay is a strict Idle Speed/No Wake Zone⁷.

Which stops do The Moorings and Ocean Adventure Cat use?

The Moorings runs a Nassau-based week, and its charters start from Palm Cay⁹. Its seven days name a stop each and give no miles².

Day	Stop	What the itinerary says
Day 1	Highborne Cay	An idyllic location for an overnight stay; kayak or snorkel at Horseshoe Bay2
Day 2	Norman’s Cay	The remains of a plane crash lie on the southwest point2
Day 3	Compass Cay	A full-service marina and restaurant2
Day 4	Staniel Cay	Thunderball Grotto, an underwater cave system just west of the cay2
Day 5	Warderick Wells	Headquarters of the 176-square-mile park2
Day 6	Shroud Cay	Sheltered coves that are home to conch, lobster and sea turtles2
Day 7	Rose Island	Anchorage only on the northern side of the island2

Ocean Adventure Cat sails a round trip from George Town instead, also without miles³.

Day	Stop	What the itinerary says
Day 1	George Town	Meet the crew on the docks behind Exuma Markets3
Day 2	Lee Stocking Island	Enter Rat Cay Cut about 3 hours later, then follow channels and sandbars3
Day 3	Compass Cay	Anchor in Pipe Creek, which the operator calls one of the Exumas’ most scenic and protected anchorages3
Day 4	Staniel Cay	Visit the yacht club and snorkel Thunderball Grotto3
Day 5	Little Farmer’s Cay	An island of 55 residents3
Day 6	Musha Cay	Pass a shallow bay filled with sand dollars3
Day 7	George Town	Go beachcombing3

The stops are covered on their own pages: Compass Cay and its nurse sharks, Thunderball Grotto and Little Farmer’s Cay.

What are the park and Customs rules for the week?

The park takes no mooring reservations, and pre-payment does not guarantee a mooring⁶. Get a mooring first, then pay for the nights you use. The mooring fields guide explains how the fields work, and the park fees page lists the daily rates by boat length.

Customs charges an anchorage fee only when a foreign pleasure vessel is not mooring at a marina¹³. The cruising permit guide has the permit table, and the Customs clearance guide covers the ports of entry.

When is the best time for a 7-day Exumas cruise?

12knots gives November to June as the best season and August to October as off season¹. The Atlantic hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November, and the peak is around 10 September, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October⁸. Yacht Warriors would avoid the summer months because it can be very hot and humid, and says cold fronts march in like clockwork from January to March⁵. The weather windows guide shows how a front appears in a Bahamas Met bulletin.

How much does a 7-day Exumas charter cost?

The Moorings lists a starting price range of USD 4,529 to 49,919 for a 7-day Exumas charter for 2 people⁹. Its bareboat charter starts at USD 4,529 in low season and USD 15,559 in high season⁹. The Exumas yacht charter guide lists what to ask a charter company before you book. For a longer trip, see the 14-day cruising itinerary, and the Boating the Exumas hub links the rest of the boating guides.

Musha Cay, a stop on the Ocean Adventure Cat route, is owned by illusionist David Copperfield¹¹. The private islands guide names the other owners Wikipedia lists.