Taking the Helm in the Abacos: A Family Charter Shaped by Weather

A changed itinerary and a high tide became the defining parts of a family sailing trip in the Abacos. For Lisa Gabrielson McCurdy, the spring break charter aboard a 42-foot Leopard catamaran was also a chance to step back into the skipper’s role after years away from independent cruising.

She’d learned to sail alongside her father, known in the family as Capt. Dad, and had spent 34 years on the water. But crewing beside an experienced skipper and taking responsibility for a boat are different jobs. A 2016 assignment took McCurdy to Offshore Sailing School in the British Virgin Islands to build the skills and confidence to skipper independently. Then family life, postings far from the coast and a five-year break from the sailing industry put that goal on hold.

The Bahamas brought a chance to return. McCurdy and her husband planned a charter on a Moorings 4200, a three-stateroom Leopard 42. Her parents came along to look after their energetic 2-year-old daughter, leaving the couple to manage the sailing. On the third day, McCurdy brought the catamaran onto a mooring in Little Harbour without asking for help. Her daughter watched pelicans from the bow, while her father sat back in the cockpit.

Weather rewrites the route

The family chose the Abacos for a relatively gentle return to bareboat cruising. The cays sit close together, making for short passages and options to change plans when conditions shift. The area also offers protected anchorages and well-known stops, including historic Hope Town and its candy-striped lighthouse, the beaches of Lynyard Cay and Tahiti Beach.

The weather, however, was rougher than expected for a non-hurricane-season week. Within the first 24 hours, it pushed the crew away from the planned itinerary and into a shorter, slower circuit. That left fewer miles to cover and more time to get comfortable aboard, linger in anchorages and let the toddler set the pace.

One planned snorkel stop at Sandy Cay was dropped because of the weather, and the family skipped Man-O-War Cay on the way back to Marsh Harbour. The altered route still made space for beach time and a stop at the Thirsty Cuda floating bar at Tahiti Beach while the toddler napped.

The trip’s clearest navigation lesson came on the approach to Little Harbour. McCurdy initially tried to enter through a channel charted at 1.5 meters, while the Leopard 42 drew nearly that depth in feet. The mismatch made the attempt untenable, so the crew backed out and waited for the morning tide. They entered at high water, following the timing described in their cruising guides. Pete’s Pub & Gallery was waiting on the other side.

Two ways through the Abacos

The planned itinerary called for a week of moving north through the cays before returning to Marsh Harbour. The sailed route began with the skipper checkout sail and a hop to Hope Town, then continued to Tahiti Beach and Lynyard Cay before reaching Little Harbour. Weather prompted the family to cut stops and shorten passages.

As planned

• Day 0: Fly to Marsh Harbour, board at the Moorings base at Marsh Harbour Marina and spend the night at the dock.
• Day 1: Complete the skipper checkout sail to Guana Cay, with an optional lunch at Fowl Cay. Dinner at Nippers or Grabbers; overnight on a Dive Guana mooring.
• Day 2: Sail to Green Turtle Cay by way of a lunch stop at Nunjack Cay. Dinner at Pineapples Bar & Grill; overnight on a White Sound mooring.
• Day 3: Sail to Hope Town on Elbow Cay, explore the village and playground, and have dinner at Cap’n Jack’s or Firefly. Provision and overnight on a municipal mooring.
• Day 4: Sail to Little Harbour, with a planned snorkel stop at Sandy Cay or the Pelican Cays. Dinner aboard; overnight on a Pete’s Pub mooring.
• Day 5: Sail to Man-O-War Cay to browse Albury’s Sail Shop. Dinner aboard; overnight on a mooring or at anchor.
• Day 6: Sail early to Marsh Harbour and disembark by 10 a.m.

As sailed

• Day 0: Fly to Marsh Harbour, board at Marsh Harbour Marina and spend the night at the dock.
• Day 1: Complete the skipper checkout sail and continue to Hope Town. Explore the village and playground, have dinner at Cap’n Jack’s Restaurant and Bar, and overnight on a municipal mooring.
• Day 2: Spend the morning ashore, then make a short sail to Tahiti Beach and Aunt Pat’s Bay for lunch at anchor and an afternoon on the beach. Overnight at anchor.
• Day 3: Sail to Lynyard Cay and spend the afternoon at Gilly’s Beach. The Sandy Cay snorkel stop is dropped because of the weather. Dinner aboard; overnight at anchor.
• Day 4: Spend the morning ashore, enter Little Harbour at high tide and have lunch at Pete’s Pub. Afternoon at leisure; overnight on a Pete’s Pub mooring.
• Day 5: Sail back to Marsh Harbour, dropping the Man-O-War Cay stop because of the weather. Overnight at the dock.
• Day 6: Disembark by 10 a.m., spend the morning at Abaco Beach Resort and have lunch at Snappas Bar and Grill before departing for the airport.

Finding the rhythm again

The strongest memories weren’t the miles covered. They were afternoons spent searching the shoreline for sea biscuits and conchs, with McCurdy’s daughter holding each find up for inspection. From the bow, the toddler scanned the horizon; from the helm, her mother rebuilt the feel for handling the boat.

Her father, who had long been the family’s steady skipper, was able to relax and enjoy the trip. McCurdy hopes to pass that role on to her daughter one day. For now, the next stop is the Exumas, and the lesson from this charter is simple: read the conditions, give the tide its time, and let a changed plan make room for the people aboard.