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The Exumas at 50 to 60m is an anchorage program, not a marina program, and the draft line at the bracket is the structural booking variable. The 2026 weekly rate runs $245,000 to $375,000 for motor and $200,000 to $300,000 for sailing, plus APA at 25 to 30 percent, the Bahamian 4 percent charter VAT, the Exuma Land and Sea Park fee at roughly $4 per foot of LOA per day, and gratuity at 10 to 15 percent. The bracket carries 10 to 12 guests in 6 cabins, with 14 to 17 crew. Embarkation and disembarkation happen at Nassau (Albany or Atlantis Marina) because the Exumas chain has no marina at the bracket; Highbourne Cay and Staniel Cay handle smaller tonnage and the 50 to 60m bracket runs as guests, not as berth holders.
Why the chain works at the bracket and where it pinches
The Exuma chain runs roughly 130 miles south-southeast of Nassau from Allen's Cay to Great Exuma. The bracket fits the anchorages at Highbourne Cay, Norman's Cay, Shroud Cay, the Exuma Land and Sea Park, Compass Cay, Staniel Cay (Big Major Spot for the swimming pigs), Black Point, and Great Exuma. All of these take the bracket on swing at the outer roadstead.
The constraint is the inner approach. The Thunderball Grotto, the Compass Cay sharks, the Pig Beach inner approach, and the Exuma Park inner-cay snorkel anchorages run 2 to 3m at low water and the bracket above 53m runs these as tender programs from outer anchorages rather than as primary-vessel approaches. The 50 to 53m end of the bracket with draft under 3.3m takes a meaningful share of the inner stops on the primary vessel; the 57 to 60m end runs an exclusively-tender inner program. Verify the actual draft against the proposed itinerary in writing.
The Exuma Land and Sea Park is a no-take marine reserve managed by the Bahamas National Trust; the bracket is fully welcome inside the park boundaries under the fee schedule and the anchoring rules (designated mooring fields and no-anchor zones over the coral). The Park fee at $4 per foot per day adds roughly $1,400 to $1,920 per week at the bracket.
Weekly rate map for 2026
High season (mid-December 2026 to mid-April 2027), before APA at 25 to 30 percent, gratuity at 10 to 15 percent, and Park fees.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht and motor-sailor (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 to 53m | $245K to $285K per week | $200K to $235K per week |
| 53 to 57m | $275K to $325K per week | $225K to $265K per week |
| 57 to 60m | $315K to $375K per week | $255K to $300K per week |
Christmas week (week 51 to 52) and New Year week run a 35 to 55 percent premium with 14-day minimums at the bracket. Easter and Presidents Day weeks carry the secondary premium structure. For wider context see Caribbean charter weekly rates, the 40 to 50m Exumas bracket, and the 50 to 60m Bahamas bracket.
What you actually get in this bracket
Cabins. 6 cabins standard. The Exumas-program 50 to 60m pool overlaps directly with the Bahamas pool because the chain is the cruising leg of a Nassau embarkation; the master-on-main layout is the bracket norm.
Crew. 14 to 17. The Exumas program crew load is heaviest on the tender team and the watersports specialist; verify the watersports instructor headcount in writing at booking because the Exumas itinerary runs on tender activity, not on quay nights.
Tenders. Twin primary tenders at 9 to 10m are standard at the bracket for the Exumas because the dual-tender capacity unlocks parallel guest activity at Pig Beach, Thunderball, and the Compass Cay sharks. The secondary 6 to 7m runs the close-in cay landings.
At-anchor stabilizers. Required. The Exumas anchorages run open to the trade-wind swell from the east through the entire winter and the at-anchor differential is the bracket's single largest charter-experience variable.
Helipad. Touch-and-go meaningful at the upper end of the bracket. Staniel Cay airstrip is the mid-chain pickup; the helicopter shuttle from Nassau to a yacht at Highbourne or Staniel is the bracket's practical mid-charter guest pickup pattern.
Trip shapes that fit the bracket
The northern Exumas seven-night. Embark Albany, run south overnight to Highbourne, work Norman's, Shroud, the Park (Warderick Wells), Compass, finish at Staniel for the swimming pigs, return Nassau. Seven nights. The bracket fits all of this and the trip rewards the dual-tender capacity.
The full chain ten-night. Embark Albany, work the northern Exumas for four nights, run south to Black Point and Great Exuma for three nights, return via the Park and Staniel. Ten nights. The southern leg adds the Georgetown stop and the local-village contact for clients who want a fuller cultural picture.
The Exumas plus Eleuthera twelve-day. Embark Nassau, run the Exumas for six nights, cross to Eleuthera (Harbour Island, Spanish Wells), return Nassau. Twelve nights. Best at the upper end of the bracket for the open-water Eleuthera crossing. For destination context see Charter Exumas, Charter Bahamas, and the Best Bahamas charter yachts 2026 ranking.
What the bracket does not do well in the Exumas
Christmas-and-New-Year inside 9 months. The Exumas-program inventory is fully booked at the December-January peak 11 to 14 months out and inside-window booking is not realistic at the bracket.
Inner-cay primary-vessel approaches above 53m. The bracket above 53m runs tender-only for the marquee inner stops (Thunderball, Pig Beach, Compass Cay), which is workable but should be priced into the day plan rather than discovered at the anchorage.
Marina nights. The Exumas chain has no superyacht marina at the bracket. Marquee marinas at the bracket are at Nassau and the Park anchorages serve as the on-charter mooring base. Guests expecting nightly quay-life evenings should add Nassau days at the bookends.
Two we would book
For two couples, seven days in mid-February, northern Exumas with the swimming pigs day on a 53m: a 52m motor yacht with 6 cabins, draft under 3.3m, twin tenders, at-anchor stabilizers, embarkation Albany. Budget $290K plus APA plus Park fees, all-in roughly $385K. Booking lead time: 7 to 10 months.
For a family of 10, fourteen days at New Year week (booked 13 months ahead), full Exumas chain plus Eleuthera: a 56m motor yacht with 6 cabins, twin tenders, helipad, embarkation Albany. Budget $810K plus APA at 30 percent plus Park fees, all-in roughly $1.08M. Booking lead time: 13 to 15 months.
For a friend group of 12, ten days in early March, full chain to Great Exuma: a 58m motor yacht with 6 cabins, twin tenders, embarkation Albany. Budget $470K plus APA plus Park fees, all-in roughly $635K. Booking lead time: 9 to 12 months.
Build year and refit
The Exumas-program 50 to 60m pool is younger than the Mediterranean average. A 2017 to 2024 Italian, Dutch, or US-build with a 2023 or later refit, twin tenders, at-anchor stabilizers, and draft under 3.5m for the 50 to 53m end is the value zone. We would pass on tonnage above 3.8m draft for any itinerary that promises Thunderball or Pig Beach primary-vessel approaches.