As a lake sailor, I have to find opportunities to expand my horizons. I guess this would be a great deal easier on a great lake, but while sizable for a reservoir, the accessible portion of the lake I am on, just is not that large. I have in the past put Ventolines on a trailer and gone to the keys. This is fun, but eats up days of travel time. So the next solution I like to use, is to find friends boats that I can sail on, after a short flight. But sometimes, you just need to go somewhere far and this time it was the Bahamas.
Just a day away, by plane, from the east coast of the US, the Bahamas provide excellent sailing conditions. The wind blows consistently from one direction. The depth of water in any anchorage, combined with the slight tide changes and sandy bottoms make setting the hook easy. The people, at least in the Abacos, are friendly and helpful. Finally, the food and places to visit provide beauty and diversity that keep your interest.
We chartered our craft from Sunsail. The flight into Marsh Harbour is always interesting. It took about 10 minutes to get to the marina from the airport and the staff had most things ready to go. It was a lot different than the last time we chartered from the Moorings in Marsh Harbour. The change in attitude of the staff, as well as their increase in attention to detail was a considerable change. The credit for this change must go to Mauro Iachelli, the new manager of the base. He runs a tight ship as they say. We spoke at length when returning the vessel at check out. He understands that making a customer happy starts, not with mere giveaways, but with delivering on expectations. The product IS the boat and the venue, but the experience is what keeps customers coming back and recommending it to their friends.
So I do recommend chartering through the Moorings or Sunsail in the Abacos. If you do, say hey to Bubba (from St. Lucia) or Maxine in the office. They will look after you and do their best to make the stories you bring back good ones.