Many Exuma-bound cruisers skip Nassau altogether, but if you need to re-provision or do some boat work, it’s an inevitable stop – you will not find any supermarkets or boat stores in the Exumas! Besides, we always love to visit a new place.
We saw the buildings of Atlantis, one of the largest resorts in the world, from over ten miles away. It was good to see land and a landmark to navigate by. After the grueling crossing from the Berry Islands at about 5 pm we were finally approaching the New Providence Island and the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau.
With a population a little bit over 250 thousand people, it boasts colorful island-style and colonial architecture, luxury resorts and modern metropolitan culture. Its history is far from boring – when you learn about it, you feel like you are right in the middle of an adventure pirate novel.
As every area, where extreme luxury coexists with extreme poverty, Nassau is unfortunately famous for its crime. Tour guides warn you against walking after dark and wearing anything valuable, even cruisers every now and then share scary stories of theft and burglary. So we decided against unprotected anchoring and opted for a slip. After some research, we chose the Nassau Harbour Club, the last marina to the East in the busy Nassau Harbour.
After spending a week there on the way to the Exumas and a week on the way back, I can say with confidence that we’ve made the right choice. Yes, there are marinas closer to downtown, but those are further away from the grocery stores. There are marinas on the other side of the island that have beautiful beaches. But you will enjoy plenty of beaches very soon, and now it’s all about getting your necessary things done. So, in my opinion, Nassau Harbour Club is the perfect happy medium of everything you need during your stop-over. Here are my 9 reasons, why:
1 – Wonderful personnel, always ready to help
Needless to say, after the crossing we were dead tired. The wind didn’t cooperate and ended up being from the East at 25 knots.
⚠️ Nassau Harbour has one important regulation: due to high traffic, especially cruise and cargo ships, every boat must call the Harbour Control and ask for permission to enter. Call on Channel 16 about one mile out and Harbour Control will ask your boat name, documentation or registration number and where you plan to dock or anchor. Sometimes you have to wait for traffic, but usually you are given permission right away.
Peter, the dockmaster, told us that the Western side of the docks had no slips available and we would have to dock with the wind. Whaaaaaat? “Don’t worry, we’ll catch you” – he said. When we arrived, there were at least four people at the dock to catch our lines and we managed to get into our slip with the 25 knot stern wind without an incident. The dock crew really helped us to tie up and to quickly arrange the fenders to protect our boat.
Some days later, our friends Mike and Nikki sailed from the Berries. They were arriving after hours in the middle of multiple squalls. Peter and his guys stayed overtime to help them dock in the difficult weather conditions. Everything you need – just ask Peter and it will be done. The dock crew is always ready to go an extra step to accommodate cruisers.
2 – 24-hour security
At Nassau Harbour Club you can sleep well. All the marinas in the area have security and Nassau Harbour Club is not an exception. At night time, you frequently see guys on bicycles, doing their rounds. The docks are well-lit, so you always feel safe.
3 – Reasonable rates
Marina rates in Nassau are quite high in general, but I found Nassau Harbour Club one of the most reasonable. The rate is usually $2 per foot plus tax. Water is a flat-rate, $6 a day (so take advantage of it and wash your boat!) and power is metered. If you are staying longer than a week, ask Peter for a discount and you will most likely get a better rate.
4 – Nice swimming pool
After the beaches of the Berry Islands and before the beaches of the Exumas, a nice fresh water swimming pool really hits the spot. The pool area is clean with lounge chairs and picnic tables around. Right next door there is the laundry room, so you can do your laundry in style, dipping into the refreshing water between loads. Adjacent to the pool, there are ample showers, cleaned regularly. Hot water! Yeeah!! 😉
5 – Fresh Market across the street
One of the biggest reasons for choosing Nassau Harbour Club is the convenience of re-provisioning. Right across the road, there is a big modern shopping center with all kinds of stores and boutiques. One of them is called Solomon’s Fresh Market and, believe it or not, it is just as awesome as the Fresh Market here in the United States! While shopping, pay attention to the prices – some items are pretty expensive, but you can always find another brand that’s very reasonably priced. For example, my favorite Kerrygold Irish Butter was even cheaper than at home!
The best thing that you won’t get at any other marina is that you can actually roll your cart across the road right to your boat (or ask one of the helpers available by the door – they are usually students who work for tips). This option is super valuable because the majority of cruisers don’t have cars and taxis are really pricey. As for trying to carry all the bags by yourself in the heat… well, I definitely wouldn’t wanna do it! I’d rather roll my cart and unload right at the boat. Please, make sure you return the cart afterwards!
6 – Liquor store across the street
The same goes for liquor – no one wants to carry heavy bottles back to the boat! The 700 Wines&Spirits Liquor Store is right across from the Fresh Market. You can hit it after you buy your groceries and use the Fresh Market cart. If you want to use the liquor store cart, it is possible, too. A shop assistant will follow you to the marina and take the cart back.
Keep in mind, that even though the local prices might shock you, Exuma prices are even higher. Here is an example: a liter bottle of the local Ricardo rum costs $11 in Nassau and $18-19 in the Exumas. Beer is $42 a case in Nassau, but $70 in Exumas! So make sure you stock up on all of your libations here.
7 – Several great restaurants within walking distance
There are plenty of great restaurants in downtown Nassau, but there are several excellent choices right there close to the marina. We’ve been to three that I can recommend:
Starbucks – well, it’s Starbucks. Great for breakfast or a coffee break during a hot day. There is free high-speed Wi-Fi, so many locals and tourists take an opportunity to enjoy the cool air-conditioned space and catch up on their Internet stuff.
The Poop Deck – a staple in Nassau, a popular place for locals and tourists alike. Located next to the Nassau Yacht Haven Marina, it is a 10 minute walk from Nassau Harbour Club. The restaurant has gorgeous views of the Harbour and boats, and offers Caribbean cuisine, including traditional Bahamian dishes, such as all kinds of conch specialties (conch salad, conch fritters, cracked conch), guava duff and finger-licking fresh grouper fingers. If you are interested in the real deal, you can select your own whole fresh fish.
Wild Thyme – it is a bit more upscale restaurant which is only a 3-minute walk from Nassau Harbor Club. For inside dining you must observe a dress-code (no shorts or flip-flops), but don’t worry if you are not dressed: you can enjoy the beautiful outside patio. The prices are a bit higher than normal, but it is well worth it. The restaurant offers Caribbean and Bahamian cuisine, and every dish is a piece of art. There is a good assortment of hand-crafted cocktails and martinis. Especially if you have something to celebrate (if not, celebrate your arrival to Nassau! LOL), you will not regret eating here.
8 – Several marine supplies stores within walking distance
There are at least 4 stores where you can find boat parts and marine supplies for sale, and all of them are within walking distance:
- Brown Boat Basin Store
- Marlin Marine
I found Harbourside Marine the best of all, and it reminded me of an island version of West Marine. Some items are more expensive than in the States, but some are not. They did have inexpensive gallons of denatured alcohol, which we really needed.
9 – A possibility to walk to most of the downtown attractions of Nassau
If you are stopping in Nassau, it would be a sin not to explore the colorful downtown area. Nassau Harbour Club is the farthest marina on East Bay Street, but nevertheless, it is possible to go to the downtown on foot. On the way, you can enjoy the beautiful views of the two Paradise Island Bridges, have a snack at one of the local kiosks under those bridges and pass by multiple marinas and restaurants. It took us about 45 minutes of a leisurely stroll to get to downtown. Since we returned in the dark, we took a taxi back. There are plenty of activities in downtown Nassau. We only had time for several, so here’s what we did and what we can recommend:
Discover Nassau’s colonial past: walk the streets of the downtown, enjoy the beautiful architecture of buildings of Parliament Square or climb the Queen’s Staircase.
Explore the Straw Market, a true Nassau landmark, for authentic hand-made Bahamian souvenirs
Visit one of the cool bars in the shopping area adjacent to the Straw Market. Be it the world famous Señor Frog’s or the Bearded Clam, where every cocktail name makes you either laugh or blush, you will surely have fun!
Sample rum at John Watling’s Distillery. This is a free tour that shows you how one of the local rums are made. At the end you can buy a flight of four different kinds of rum to sample. Drink responsibly! After drinking you will undoubtedly want some new adventures, so it’s the right time to…
Learn about Nassau’s crazy past at the Pirates of Nassau Museum. The museum is built like a real village, where you can walk through a street to a dock with a pirate ship. You can enter the ship to see how pirate life on board was organized. You can “visit” a jail and learn about marooning. Real-size wax figures and sound effects add to the experience. Surprisingly, it became one of the highlights of our day in downtown Nassau.
If you feel lucky, you can hop into a cab and take a trip to Atlantis, where the largest Casino in the Caribbean is located. After 6 pm you don’t have to pay for the day pass to enter the premises of the resort.
Oh Nassau! It was a great stay, but after the activity-packed week we were all done. Provisions were packed; the boat was ready to go. So, when the weather was right, we exited the Eastern side of Nassau Harbour and continued on our way to another beautiful Paradise on Earth – the Exuma Islands.
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