This was our 4th charter, but first time in the Abacos. We had 6 adults and 4 teenagers on the boat. All of our previous charters have been in the BVI with Horizon. This time, we used Cruise Abaco out of Marsh Harbor. First, if you've been chartering in the BVI and you're looking for something different, look no further. The Abacos are amazing and similarly easy to cruise. Like the BVI, anchorages are within a couple hours of each other. The beaches in the Abacos are amazing. I would say snorkeling and diving is easier in the BVI. There really are not mooring balls you can simply tie your 40-50 ft. cat to and start diving in the Abacos. However, we used Dive Guana out of Great Guana Cay and had a great experience. We also anchored off Sandy Cay and snorkeled the nearby reef. Although the the snorkeling and diving sites aren't quite as convenient as in the BVI, I would rate the experience higher. The coral was in much better shape in my opinion and we saw lots of sea life, including a couple of sharks. The islands of the Abacos are very nice. There is obviously quite a bit of American money there, but, with that, everything was pretty expensive, especially food. We docked at Treasure Cay resort and I would say the treasure cay beach is one of the best beaches I've ever been to. Think Savannah bay times 5. We picked up a mooring ball in Hope Town, which was another highlight. There were no available golf carts, so we rented bicycles and rode to tahiti beach. It was very hot, but this turned out to be a lot of fun. We stopped at the Abaco Inn on the way back and had some food/drinks and used their pool. Cap'n Jacks in hope town was outstanding and not as ridiculously priced as hope town inn and marina. We took meat with us in a cooler and it was still frozen solid when we got to the abacos. We told customs about it and they couldn't have cared less. No issues with customs and a no wait. The sailing in the Abacos is a little different. Winds aren't as consistent. We had 10-15 knots the first few days and then nothing. We motored a lot the second half of the week, but it wasn't a big deal.
Regarding Cruise Abaco, they are a great family run operation. The people were very nice and helpful. I'm gonna give them an 8 out of 10, only because of the condition of the boat, blues traveler. I think blues traveler might be on her last leg. When we got there, the head for my cabin was not working. Someone on the previous crew had blocked it and the pump was shot. It never got fixed and we ended up having to use another head the whole trip. Not the end of the world, but sort of a pain. Also, even though I told everyone not to use that head, what do you think happened? Yep, someone forgot. The cruise abaco guys came right out and cleaned it out, which I felt bad about, but they did it with a smile. Another issue that was supposed to get fixed but didn't was the electric winch for the main halyard. We went old school and did a lot of cranking. Had to have the dinghy replaced as the motor was idling way too high, creating a safety issue. I'd say about 40% of the lights on the boat didn't work including some reading lights, outside lights, and, most importantly, the anchor and navigation lights. We were a little nervous at anchor so we left some of the outside lights on. The boat does have an ice maker, but it does not work. A/C units in both hulls went out a few times, but that was fixed by clearing seaweed out of the strainers and hoses. After watching this, I did it myself a couple times then didn't have any more problems with the A/C. Overall, I'd use cruise abaco again, but would probably not charter this boat.
After our charter, we caught a flight to Nassau and spent two days at Atlantis. I reluctantly agreed to this after my kids nagged us about it relentlessly. I'm not much of a vegas style resort fan, but I have to say I really enjoyed our short time there. The place is over the top. The kids had a blast riding all the rides. Food is crazy expensive and you really have no options. I'd definitely go back though. It was awesome. Think Vegas, a sweet water park, and sea world all in one.
Overall...awesome trip!!

I don’t know the cruise abaco operation but many of the issues you had are not age related. Things like light bulbs and especially a head pump should be in inventory onsite.
G

I don't disagree

Glad you were able to make the most of your charter. My last charter (in the Exumas) was on a real lemon of a boat -- so many things broken! -- but, hey, we were in paradise! The Abacos are awesome for sailors; so much is oriented to boaters. Did you manage to get to Green Turtle Cay? That area is amazing.

Sounds like you guys were there the same time we were! We were on Aquatopia from Dream Yacht Charters and had an amazing time. After 14 years in the BVI, it was fun to try something new! We are going back down for 5 nights land-based in late October at Abaco Inn - can’t wait!

You will like the Abaco Inn. We rented “Captain's Quarters” a house next door April 2018, and enjoyed Abaco Inn and their hospitality. Be sure to reserve a golf cart early.

We also chartered Sunsail a couple of years earlier. Different crew wants to go back. We may do that sometime soon