Harbour Island yacht charter
Pink sand, pastel cottages and the most stylish small town in the Bahamas, reached by private yacht from Nassau. Broker-led since 1992.
Get My ShortlistCall 1-561-463-6840Pink Sands Beach by private yacht
Harbour Island sits just off North Eleuthera, about 50 nautical miles north-east of Nassau. Most charters start in Nassau, cross to Eleuthera and anchor off or berth at Harbour Island’s marinas, combining the island with Spanish Wells and the rest of Eleuthera. The approach from the north passes the Devil’s Backbone reef, which captains navigate with local knowledge or a Spanish Wells pilot. Crewed catamarans start around $20,000 a week, plus taxes and gratuity.
Barefoot elegance on a three-mile pink beach
Harbour Island, known locally as Briland, is about three miles long. Its eastern shore is Pink Sands Beach, where crushed coral and shell tint the sand a soft blush. Its western side is Dunmore Town, one of the oldest settlements in the Bahamas, with clapboard cottages, flowering lanes, boutique hotels and some of the best restaurants in the islands. Guests get around by golf cart.
It is a favourite with couples and families who want style without formality, and it pairs naturally with the quieter beaches of Eleuthera across the harbour.
Harbour Island and its neighbours
Pink Sands Beach and Dunmore Town
Long beach walks, lunch at a beach club and dinner ashore in town.
Spanish Wells
A tidy fishing settlement on St. George’s Cay, home to the pilots who guide yachts through the Devil’s Backbone.
Preacher’s Cave
Where the Eleutheran Adventurers sheltered in the 1640s, with a quiet beach nearby.
Eleuthera’s beaches
Gaulding Cay, the Glass Window Bridge and quieter anchorages along the island; see our Eleuthera guide.
The Devil’s Backbone needs local knowledge
The Devil’s Backbone is a stretch of reef along North Eleuthera between Spanish Wells and Harbour Island. The passage runs close to shore among coral heads, and many captains take a local pilot from Spanish Wells for the run. On calm days it is a spectacular cruise; in a northerly swell, yachts take the longer route around.
Larger yachts often anchor off and bring guests to the town dock by tender. Guests flying in land at North Eleuthera Airport, a short taxi and water-taxi ride from Harbour Island.
A sample week: Nassau, Harbour Island and Eleuthera
Nassau to Rose Island
Board in Nassau and take a short first leg to Rose Island for a swim and a calm night at anchor.
Rose Island to Spanish Wells
Cross to North Eleuthera and explore Spanish Wells by golf cart.
Spanish Wells to Harbour Island
With a pilot, run the Devil’s Backbone to Harbour Island. Sunset drinks in Dunmore Town.
Harbour Island
A full day on Pink Sands Beach, lunch at a beach club and dinner ashore.
Harbour Island to Current Cut
Head south along Eleuthera, snorkelling the reefs along the way.
Eleuthera beaches
A beach day at a quiet Eleuthera anchorage and a final evening at anchor.
Eleuthera to Nassau
Cross back to Nassau, or disembark in Eleuthera and fly home.
What a Harbour Island yacht charter costs
| Yacht type | Typical weekly fee | How it is priced |
|---|---|---|
| Crewed catamaran, 45–60 ft | $20,000–$40,000 | Often all-inclusive |
| Luxury catamaran, 60–80 ft | $40,000–$90,000+ | All-inclusive or plus expenses |
| Motor yacht, 75–100 ft | $60,000–$120,000 | Plus APA of 25–35% |
| Superyacht, 100 ft+ | $150,000–$500,000+ | Plus APA of 25–35% |
Most yachts are based in Nassau. Starting or ending in Eleuthera can add a relocation fee, so a Nassau round trip is usually the simplest plan.
Add Bahamas charter taxes (10% VAT plus a 4% charter fee, about 14% in total) and a crew gratuity of 15–20%. Our Bahamas charter cost guide walks through all-in examples.
Ranges are our own guide and vary with yacht, season and availability.
Want Harbour Island on your itinerary?
Tell us your dates, group and the kind of week you have in mind. Within one business day we reply with yachts that are genuinely available, with every cost set out in advance. There is no fee to you: the yacht pays our commission.
Get My ShortlistCall 1-561-463-6840Your brokers
Hansel Sneed
Founder and Yacht Charter BrokerHansel founded Sneed Charters in 1992 and has spent more than three decades matching families, couples and companies with crewed yachts across the Bahamas, Florida and the Caribbean.
Adrian Sneed
Yacht Charter BrokerAdrian handles day-to-day charter planning, from Nassau day charters to week-long journeys through the Exumas and the Abacos, and works directly with captains and owners on availability, relocation and pricing.
Harbour Island yacht charter FAQs
Most charters start in Nassau and cross to North Eleuthera, about 50 nautical miles, then approach Harbour Island via Spanish Wells or around the north of Eleuthera.
A reef along North Eleuthera between Spanish Wells and Harbour Island. Many captains take a local pilot from Spanish Wells for the passage.
Crushed coral and the shells of tiny marine organisms called foraminifera give Pink Sands Beach its soft pink colour.
Yes. Larger yachts typically anchor off and bring guests ashore by tender; your captain plans around the weather and the reef.
On a longer charter, yes. A week usually works best focused on either Eleuthera and Harbour Island or the Exumas, with Nassau between them.