Having lived in Florida my entire life, and with the ability to hop on a short, hour-long flight to the Bahamas, you would guess that this Sunshine State local would spend weekends in the beautiful sands of Bimini or the gin-clear waters of the Abacos. Sadly, I am ashamed to say this was not the case. But when the first opportunity to cruise these grounds came knocking, I was all in. And if there is one thing I learned on this trip, it is that the Bahamas and powercats make a pretty perfect pair.
Shallow waters, islands close enough to hop between in an afternoon and endless anchorages to explore make the Bahamas an ideal powercat cruising destination. Add in the ability to cover more ground without worrying about which way the wind is blowing, and we had exactly what we needed for a few days of island hopping through the Abacos.
Getting the Gang Together
It was everything we envisioned and more. Seven friends with the opportunity to explore the Abacos by boat. We were looking for the freedom to go where we wanted to go, when we wanted to go, all while cruising and discovering different islands each day. And how to best achieve this? For us, the answer was a spacious powercat.
So there we were, setting off on a Leopard 51 Powercat. With a draft of only about 3.5 feet on a 51-foot yacht and a beam of 25 feet, we had plenty of space for the seven of us while still being able to navigate the shallow waters the Bahamas are known for.
And unlike sailing, our itinerary wasn’t dictated by the wind. If we wanted to spend the morning on one cay and head somewhere completely different for sunset, we could. For this trip, that freedom was exactly what we were looking for.
Navigating the Shallows
First stop? Tahiti Beach.
Located south of Marsh Harbour, where we picked up the yacht, Tahiti Beach greeted us with white sand, a thick grove of palm trees and far-reaching sandbars. This being our first time cruising the Abacos, we were well aware that the waters could get quite shallow. But who is afraid of a navigational challenge? Not this group of Florida gals, where shallow waters are all we know. This is also where having a powercat really started to make sense.
With a draft of approximately 3.5 feet, the Leopard 51 PC was well suited to exploring these waters. But don’t let shallow draft give you too much confidence. The Bahamas still demand your attention. Whether your depth meter reads 4 feet or 30 feet almost seems irrelevant when you can see everything happening underneath you. The water was such a stunning shade of turquoise that at first it was hard to look away. But eyes on the charts here, people.
When navigating the Abacos, always have your cruising guide open and your chartplotter on. These trusty tools will help ensure you don’t make the mistake of all mistakes as a charter guest — grounding the boat.
Considering the islands are so close together, there was plenty of time to sit back and enjoy the ride from the helm station on the massive flybridge. You and a first mate can lounge at the helm, and the bridge itself has enough seating for the whole crew. This is the place to be — trust me. Sailing catamarans may have their trampolines, but on a powercat, give me the views and the breeze from up top.
Trouble in Paradise
Pulling into Tahiti Beach, we found the perfect location to set anchor. Now is the time I think I must come clean and admit that this was the first charter us ladies had ever done without our guys with us. And naturally, just as we were setting anchor, our windlass decided to take a break for a little while. So what did we do? Rigged and set the storm anchor.
What I have to admit is that one of the most rewarding parts of this trip was that when something went wrong, we would do some troubleshooting and figure it out ourselves. Powercat or sailboat, cruising has a funny way of testing you every now and then.
When cruising these grounds, it is also important to study your tide charts. Low tide is generally not a good time to navigate through some of the channels, regardless of how shallow your boat’s draft may be. During our days of cruising, we would wait for the tide to begin working in our favor before moseying into a harbour for the evening. The first evening, our destination was Hope Town Harbour.
Once we tied off on a mooring ball, we made dinner and then decided to head ashore for cocktails. One of the best parts of a yachting vacation is meeting your fellow boaters. People you meet while cruising are typically some of the most down-to-earth folks out there. I also considered the fact that they, too, had probably been on a boat for days with the same few people, so it is always refreshing to strike up a conversation with someone new on shore. The next morning, we climbed the Hope Town Lighthouse — a must-do — and then it was off to swim with the pigs.
Swimming With Pigs IS All It’s Cracked Up to Be
The cruise up to No Name Cay could not have been better. In order to get there, you must run on the Atlantic side of the islands through Whale Cay Passage. If the weather is not cooperating, it may mean changing your itinerary. The passage is narrow in places, with rocks and shoals surrounding you, so this isn’t the place to force the issue. Thankfully, our trip north was exactly what we hoped for.
Arriving at No Name Cay, we were the only people in the harbour. We dropped anchor and enjoyed the view over lunch. From there, we loaded up a bag of goodies — bananas, bagels, a little lunch meat and some bread — and jumped in the dinghy. The welcoming committee was quite excited to see us. Although I quickly found that the pigs’ opinion of me was highly influenced by whether or not I had food in my hands. A word of advice: Don’t mess with Mama Pig’s food! Give her some goodies and then move on. If you try to pick it up and re-administer it, she will not be impressed.
Aside from the adorable flock of pigs that inhabit the island, the beach itself was dazzling, with clear water and tiny rippling waves that shimmered and seemed to go on for miles. We spent hours on the beach that we had almost entirely to ourselves, discussing the various ways we could bring a pig home.
Sundowners at Sundowners
Again, as slaves to the tide, we waited until later in the day to cruise toward our next spot. In the meantime, we cleaned up and dressed up before moving into White Sound on Green Turtle Cay. Heading into the sound, the navigational beacons looked like buoys and weren’t particularly easy to spot. I definitely don’t suggest attempting this for the first time after dark. Once in the sound, we snagged a mooring ball, ate a quick dinner and headed for shore. Then our dinghy engine failed. Because apparently our trip needed another little challenge.
So we sang “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” as we made our way toward civilization. After taking a taxi through the forest, we danced the night away at a great little place called Sundowners. The vibe was Caribbean, we made friends left and right, and we swayed with the palm trees into the night.
Beach Bars, Golf Carts and an Unforgettable Sunset
The next morning, we were not up with the sun. We had been told by numerous people that we needed to get to Nunjack Cay that morning to experience the sea life. However, after the late night we had the evening before, sleeping in was a requirement.
Once some of the group was finally up and at it, we set off for Great Guana Cay for an afternoon at Nippers. And this was another moment when I appreciated being on a powercat. Our plans changed, and that was perfectly fine. There was no waiting around for the right wind or worrying about whether we could sail efficiently to our next destination. We simply decided where we wanted to go, fired up the engines and went. We hitched a golf cart ride to the Atlantic side of the island and sipped on Frozen Nippers, a cocktail recommended to us by a gentleman named Travis who worked at the marina where we picked up the boat. These cocktails should come with a warning sign — all you need is one and done! Of all the beach bars that I have visited around the Florida Keys and Caribbean, I can confidently say this ranks among the greats. It is right up there with the Soggy Dollar.
For sunset, we wandered over to Grabbers. And this turned out to be a fantastic decision. We watched the sun set between palm trees with a tiny island off in the distance. It was an ideal way to end the last night of a spectacular cruising vacation.
Why Powercats and the Bahamas Just Work
By the end of the trip, it was easy to see why a powercat is such a good match for cruising the Bahamas.
First, there is the shallow draft. When so much of your cruising ground consists of shallow channels, sandbars and tucked-away anchorages, having a boat designed to navigate skinny water gives you more freedom to explore.
Then there is the ability to cover ground. The Abacos are made for island hopping, and aboard a powercat, moving from one destination to the next can easily become part of the day’s plans rather than the entire day’s activity.
And, of course, there is the space. For seven friends, having the flybridge, aft cockpit, saloon and cabins meant we could all spend time together without feeling like we had to spend all of our time together. Anyone who has traveled with a group of friends knows exactly how important that can be. The flybridge was especially hard to beat. From navigating our way toward the next island to simply enjoying the turquoise water passing beneath us, it became one of our favorite places aboard.
5 Down, Hundreds More to Go
The following morning, we cruised at a slow pace back toward Marsh Harbour, where the group had flights home at various times throughout the day. While I began to slip into the post-vacation blues, I couldn’t help but think that I had only scraped the surface of my newfound love for the Bahamas. With hundreds of islands and cays to discover, you could spend years cruising these waters without growing bored.
While I had previously kept my loyalty to cruising in the Virgin Islands, after exploring the Abacos, I was more eager than ever to discover islands I had not previously seen. There is nothing quite like the specific charm each island offers that keeps us seeking more. And after experiencing the Bahamas aboard a powercat, I can say there is something especially fun about having the freedom to wake up, pick the next island and simply go.
The Leopard 51 Powercat that took us on this particular adventure is no longer in production, but it remains part of the Leopard story — and a great example of why powercats and the Bahamas work so well together. Those interested in the Leopard 51 PC can explore pre-owned models through Leopard Brokerage, while today’s Leopard powercat range continues to build on that same combination of space, shallow-water capability and cruising freedom.
