Yacht Charter Eleuthera

Yacht Charter in Eleuthera

Eleuthera is one of the most beautiful and most distinctive islands in the Bahamas — a long, narrow island stretching for 180 kilometres in a gently curving arc, nowhere more than 3 kilometres wide, with the deep blue Atlantic on its eastern shore and the shallow turquoise Exuma Sound on its western side. The contrast between these two bodies of water — visible simultaneously from many points on the island — creates a colour contrast of extraordinary beauty. Eleuthera is less visited than Nassau and the Exumas, and its relaxed, unhurried atmosphere, excellent pink-sand beaches, and charming colonial towns make it one of the most rewarding destinations in the Bahamas for charterers seeking something off the beaten track.

Harbour Island

Harbour Island (locally known as Briland) is a tiny island just off the northern tip of Eleuthera and one of the most romantic destinations in the Caribbean — a village of pastel-coloured wooden houses, narrow lanes of crushed coral, and the famous Pink Sands Beach on its Atlantic coast. Pink Sands is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: a 5-kilometre crescent of soft sand that appears pink in the morning and late afternoon light, the result of crushed coral and microscopic fragments of Foraminifera shells mixed into the white base sand. The Dunmore Town settlement on Harbour Island has excellent boutique hotels, excellent restaurants, and a social scene that is sophisticated without being intimidating.

The Glass Window Bridge

The Glass Window Bridge, near Gregory Town in central Eleuthera, is one of the most dramatic geographical features in the Bahamas — a narrow bridge connecting two parts of the island where the deep dark blue of the Atlantic Ocean and the pale turquoise of the Exuma Sound come within metres of each other, separated only by the sliver of rock on which the bridge stands. The view from the bridge — or better still, from the rocky outcrops on either side — is extraordinary: the contrast between the two seas, their different colours and textures, and the violence of the Atlantic swell against the rock are all visible simultaneously.

Surfer's Beach and Local Culture

Eleuthera has a distinctly local, Bahamian atmosphere that contrasts with the more international resort culture of Nassau and the Exumas. Gregory Town, in the centre of the island, is famous for its pineapple festival and the Surfer's Beach that attracts wave enthusiasts from across the Caribbean. The local cuisine — conch fritters, cracked conch, fresh grouper, and Bahamian johnny cake — is available at roadside shacks and local restaurants at prices that are very much more reasonable than the resort areas of New Providence. The island's scattered communities — Governor's Harbour, Rock Sound, Tarpum Bay — each have their own character and collectively paint a picture of authentic Bahamian island life.