Learn to Sail in the Bahamas

22 April 2024 4 min

With its crystal clear waters, calm cruising conditions, stunning temperatures and idyllic beaches, the Bahamas is a true sailing paradise.

Whether this is your first time sailing anywhere in the world, or your first time sailing in the Bahamas specifically, you might be wondering what you need to do to prepare for your next adventure on the West Atlantic Ocean.
In this blog, we’ll be looking at how you can learn to sail in the Bahamas, covering everything from the qualifications you need to key information about the cruising grounds. Setting sail from somewhere else in the Caribbean? Take a look at our blog on learning to sail in the Caribbean.

What do you need to learn to sail in the Bahamas?

No matter which of our fantastic sailing destinations you want to set sail around, you will need to gain specific qualifications and meet certain requirements before you can climb aboard one of our world-class yachts.

The Bahamas is a level 2 sailing destination which means, ahead of your first time sailing in the Bahamas, you will need:

10 days or 200 miles as a Skipper on a yacht of the same size as the one you’ll be booking
RYA Day Skipper qualification
An understanding of tidal flow
Ability to navigate in open water

Find out more about the qualifications to sail a yacht with Sunsail. If you have any questions about what you need to learn to sail in the Bahamas, please contact us today.
Are you dreaming of the enchanting islands, pristine beaches and exhilarating snorkelling opportunities, but you don’t want to learn to sail in the Bahamas? We offer skippered sailing charters in the Bahamas so you can spend your days admiring the sensational scenery and sunbathing up on deck, while an experienced skipper navigates the West Atlantic Ocean for you.

What will you experience during your first time sailing in the Bahamas?

Similarly to Phuket in Thailand and Sardinia in Italy, the charming Abacos in the Bahamas is one of our intermediate sailing destinations. What does this mean?

There is a mixture of line-of-sight sailing and blue water stretches
You’ll experience easy-to-challenging sailing conditions throughout your charter, which means some parts of the Bahamas require more skill to navigate than others
The mooring is mostly anchoring – there are many uninhabited cays around the Bahamas which are perfect for exploring, however can be challenging to moor up at as they only have a few mooring balls
You’ll encounter wind speeds of between 10-20 knots depending on the time of year you visit. Wind speeds are at their lowest in June and highest in November

You also need to take the hurricane season into consideration. Running between June-November, you could experience harsher sailing conditions and need to think carefully before booking your charter during this time. Learn more about the best time to sail in the Bahamas.

Ideally, you need to learn to sail in the Bahamas before arriving at our base in Abacos. What do we mean by this? While sailors of all experience levels can enjoy the turquoise waters of the West Atlantic Ocean, you’ll experience smoother sailing if you gain the necessary qualifications, practice, and develop your sailing skills before you set sail.

As long as you possess the necessary skills and qualifications for sailing in the Bahamas, you can look forward to a straight-forward, carefree sailing experience with the opportunity to create magical memories to last a lifetime.

How to learn to sail in the Bahamas

So now that you know what qualifications you need to glide around the gorgeous West Atlantic Ocean, you might be wondering, how can you learn to sail in the Bahamas?

As we’ve mentioned, the best way to learn to sail in the Bahamas or anywhere in the world is to learn before you go.

At Sunsail, we have expert sailing schools around the world that will take you from sailing zero to sailing hero in preparation for your Bahamian holiday:

Each school offers a wide variety of courses for sailors of all experience levels, whether you’re looking for the beginner RYA Competent Crew course or a more specialist programme such as our MileBuilders course.

If you want to learn to sail in the Bahamas, the best course would be the RYA Day Skipper course. During this 5-day introduction to the world of sailing, you will find yourself at home aboard one of our state-of-the-art yachts and will cover the following topics:

Preparation for sea
Deck work
Navigation
Pilotage
Meteorology
Rule of the road
Maintenance and repair work
Engines
Victualling
Emergency situations
Yacht handling under power
Passage making
Night cruising
Seasickness
Helmsmanship and sailing
General duties

By the end of the course, you will feel both comfortable and confident taking the helm on an exciting yacht charter around the beautiful islands of the Bahamas.
Learn more about our expert sailing schools in the UK, Greece and Croatia.

How much does it cost to learn to sail in the Bahamas?

As you prepare to set sail on your relaxing bareboat or skippered sailing charter, you might be wondering how much it costs to learn to sail in the Bahamas.

How much it costs to learn to sail in the Bahamas will depend on a number of factors, such as:

How much experience you already have and which qualifications you still need to obtain
Which of our sailing schools you choose – Lefkas, Portsmouth or Agana
What time of year you complete your course
How many of you want to learn to sail in the Bahamas

Our sailing schools courses range in price from around £89-£975, depending on the course, time of year and your skill level. You can learn more about course pricing on our UK sailing school page.

Once you have gained the necessary skills and qualifications, all that’s left to do is book your dream Bahamas yacht charter in Abacos. Learn more about the best time to sail in the Bahamas.
Your first time sailing in the Bahamas will be a truly magical experience. Exploring secluded coves, cruising around the stunning waters and embracing the laid-back island lifestyle…we couldn’t think of anything better. Build your Abacos quote today or get in touch with any questions.