Abacos Marinas

[JLR]

It's that time of year again. I am beginning to plan a Spring vacation with the Admiral and my kids (together with significant others). I need help selecting a marina in the Abacos that will best accommodate my 74 MY. First, my kids are almost 30 years old. Second, we will be staying at the marina for one week and we will not be cruising or otherwise moving the 74 but will be using our dink. Third, I suspect we will be there either in March or April. Fourth, we will be flying in and out and not taking the trip over from Jupiter. With this in mind, I have been told that Hopetown Inn and Marina might be a good choice, followed by Sea Spray. I have no idea which will be nicer or if there might be another easily accessible (by air) marina in the Abacos that might even be better. I am also told that Barker's Bay is private and has no reciprocity with any other clubs meaning it is truly off limits. Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated but once again, we are kind of wedded to the flying in, no cruising, one week and time of year mentioned above. Thanks.

 

[krush]

No input, but take me along to hang out with your kids! (similar age) I don't drink too much.

 

[cb48lrc]

We love Hope Town, and are planning on staying for two months starting sometime in March. The Marina is great

 

[Fanfare]

Hopetown Inn and Marina is very nice. You are across the harbor from town however. They were providing ferry service if the attendant was not busy. Nice staff, food, pool and RO water since I don't want to make any myself in the congested harbor. Can they take 74 ft? The inner slips were difficult to get into and out of with my 50 ft.

Sea Spray is also nice, but you will need a golf cart to get to town and everywhere else except the Abaco Inn, another of my favorites.

I really liked the Harbor View Marina in Marsh Harbour. Marsh has everything, including taxis if you need to get around with heavy stuff. It had a number of very, very nice folks there, including a number of Hatterases. A real old time marina. Plus all of town is within walking distance.

You will want to be able to go in and out from the dock to go to the various other islands. Don't miss this!

Could be the last year for Pete's Pub at Little Harbour due to proposed construction of new private marina.

 

[JLR]

Thanks everyone and please keep them coming. It is very difficult to make these decisions without the input of those in the know.

 

[Jaxfishgyd]

No matter where you stay, MAKE SURE you go to Nippers on a Sunday...

 

[motoryacht lover]

I like sea spray and they can take a boat your size. Time the tides though. Take the dinghy and eat at firefly, close to sea spray and a beautiful setting for dinner. Also sea spray is close to Tahiti beach. I like hope town a lot as well but sea spray will take you there and pick you up. About a 5-10 minute ride. Sea spray is laid back yet has some nightly entertainment at an outdoor bar also very dog friendly. I didn't care that much for marsh harbor and on a nice day the dinghy will get you there. You might get bored at man of war for a week but is a beautiful island. Have fun.

 

[PeterK]

We have only stayed at Boat Arbour in Marsh. We were quite pleased there. Very nice protected beach
, decent pool, restaurants on site. Good folks in the marina.

They definitely can handle your size we saw several megas there.

A 5-10 minute walk to restaurants. Another 5 to "downtown". Maxwell's (a US type grocery) is 5 minute from downtown. Cabs readily availablle.

I would highly recommend joining the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club. Initial join has a fee for processing but after, only $30 per year. Significant discounts at many marinas in the Abacos. If you join, I would also suggest going in March as some discounts end April 1.

 

[Dan Mapes]

We have probably spent 3.5 years of the last 8 at Sea Spray. They have probably 1 T head that you can use. If you don't get it, odds are you will be uncomfortable r out of luck. They might have something to accommodate you in a finger off the fuel dock but that could be pushing it. Rumor has it things are in a state of flux now with improvements. Supposedly they will be done by the holidays.

Hope Town Inn and Marina has a spot or two more but you will be riding their shuttle across the Harbour. Not a big deal and not a reason to skip over the place.
Boat Harbour can certainly hold you, Harbour View perhaps, others are iffy. Treasure Cay may have something for you. Fuel will be more reasonable at TC or BH. Shopping in Marsh from BH is a plus.

If you want out island environment, you are talking HTM or SS. If you can't get in, then hang at Boat Harbour in Marsh. You will not have many options at that size. You could probably get into the Green Turtle Club MAYBE Leeward.

The notion of having reservations is well said. Don't leave without them.

 

[Mike36c]

We rented a house for a month in HT this summer, Ht is nice and clean but a little uppity for us. If you decide a rental golf cart is in your future reserve it now, those things are like gold on elbow cay.

 

[BOATER BOB]

Don't forget to visit Man-O-War
Bob

 

[JLR]

Pardon my ignorance of the geography, but no one has mentioned Abaco Beach Resort or Treasure Cay. Are they not good places to consider? Also, I hate to ask it this way but is there a back door into Baker's Bay? I wonder whether they have reciprocity with any other clubs. Aside from staying in Marsh Harbor, the consensus appears to come down to Sea Spray or Hopetown Marina. If that is the case, and again, I appreciate the help, is there a significant difference between the two, assuming that each could accommodate my boat? Thanks.

 

[Dan Mapes]

Actually I did provide a brief mention of both.

"Hope Town Inn and Marina has a spot or two more but you will be riding their shuttle across the Harbour. Not a big deal and not a reason to skip over the place.
Boat Harbour can certainly hold you, Harbour View perhaps, others are iffy. Treasure Cay may have something for you. Fuel will be more reasonable at TC or BH. Shopping in Marsh from BH is a plus."

To elaborate, at TC they have a decent spread and the beach is a beauty. The pool works well also. When we were there in '09 the dockside water was on again and off again. We thought it was pricey for what it was and we have not heard of improvements. It's kind of somber there because the hurricanes wiped out the hotels. They merely filled the pool at the old site. We noticed the pool ladders were still in place.
Boat Harbour is the anchor marina for the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club. If you are going to be there for a while, check out rmhyc.com. They offer members a discount rate starting in Dec. I think but you have to pay up front. Good camaraderie with membership and a great gang. We have been members for many years. We might go there for a season next year if the boat doesn't sell.

As I said earlier shopping is best in Marsh, and BH is right there. You will miss out on the "out island experience" tho.

At your size point I would recommend BH, *maybe* TC. HT or GTC are viable. Orchid Bay only has a couple of places in the settlement. Otherwise it's one big gated community on Guana.

 

[Fanfare]

Boat Harbor is a first rate marina. Good breakwater, nice restaurant, and is the HQ of the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club so you will have lots of company. It gives you the quickest access to the Sea of Abaco without having to go out and around as you do from the main part of Marsh Harbour. And with all these advantages you may guess that it is more expensive.

The Orchid Bay Marina on Great Guana has had some ownership issues recently but is nice. However the frequent wakes from the ferry service are a problem. Nearby, Nippers, once NSFC (not safe for children) was benign two years ago (maybe not so for the annual Barefoot Man concerts?).

 

[JLR]

I just checked in with the fellow who would be bringing the boat over. He is a big fan of Sea Spray.

 

[Dan Mapes]

So am I. 3.5 years worth.

Work with them to see what they have available. I know they have stuck some 60+ footers into slips before. 75 might be pushing it but I have seen one large M/Y all the way in along the face dock by the pool. If you go stern to the center dock in between the fuel and center dock your beak will more than likely stick out the farthest.

The T head of the center dock would be a great spot for you but it is probably competitive. The fuel dock is usually held by another large M/Y during the Winter.

Ensure you have tide.

If you cannot get anywhere BH might be your best bet. Sea Spray has been a fav of ours because of protection and the "out island" experience.

 

[JLR]

Thanks all. Much appreciated.

 

[Dan Mapes]

I'm almost willing to bring your boat over for free LMHO.

 

[motoryacht lover]

Treasure cay has competitive fuel prices but it is somewhat run down. Treasure would probably be my last choice of all the marinas mentioned but it is still the Bahamas. So not the end of the world if they are the only ones that can accomodate your boat.

 

[JLR]

Well, to come full circle on this, it appears from these comments and others I have received that there are two equally vocal camps. The first one says Sea Spray and the second one says Hopetown Inn and Marina. I have since been told to avoid Treasure due to dinghy thefts and other petty crimes. So, the research continues. I sure hope that I am not getting into a which is better a Chevy or Ford debate. That is not my intent. Once I get this nailed down, I will then need some suggestions regrading "stuff" I need to arrange that is not terribly obvious -- cell phone usage, Direct TV (KVH) coverage, wifi coverage and the like. But, that can wait until I know precisely where I will be and whether the marina can accommodate me. From what I gather, those who prefer Hopetown say it is "much nicer" and newer than Sea Spray but across the harbor. Those who prefer Sea Spray say it has new ownership that is making great strikes to update the facility. I have no idea. I just do not want to shoot sight unseen what might be 10K (fuel, transit, 6 to fly in and out, dockage, etc.) and end up in the wrong place. If both are great, so be it. If not, I'd like to do my best to find out before I commit. Sorry for the blather.