Horizon Yachts FD8080' 7" (24.56 m)
View Specs & ReviewA 150-ton lift, a 1,200-ton drydock, and 56 miles from Florida
Yachting in Grand Bahama
A Minted Location · Grand Bahama, The Bahamas
If you keep a boat in South Florida and cruise The Bahamas, Grand Bahama is the island that can lift it out of the water. Bradford Marine Bahamas in Freeport states a 150-ton Marine Travelift, a 1,200-ton drydock, room for "over 25' of draft", "unrestricted air draft", and a 47-acre facility — and describes itself as "the only full-service yacht facility in the Bahamas capable of repairs and refits."
That single fact reorganises the whole island. West End is the landfall — Old Bahama Bay has 63 slips to 120 feet over 8 feet at mean low tide, and calls itself "the only night navigable port of entry on Grand Bahama Island." Lucaya is the berth — Grand Bahama Yacht Club takes yachts "up to 200 ft", is a designated port of entry, and runs a fuel dock with high-speed, triple-filtered pumps. Freeport is the work.
So treat Grand Bahama as what it is: the service island, and the first practical landfall for a boat that wants a hard-surface port rather than an out-island one. It is 56 miles from Florida by the marina's own reckoning, and that crossing puts you within a morning of a yard, a fuel dock and two ports of entry.
Where to keep a yacht in Grand Bahama
West End is the landfall, and Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbour is where you tie up. Sixty-three slips "with dockage accommodating vessels up to 120'", a controlling depth of 8 feet at mean low tide, high-speed fuel — 92 octane gas and diesel, 24-hour security, and on-site Bahamian Customs and Immigration with check-in hours of 09:00–17:00. Hail VHF 16 and switch to Channel 10. Its own claim is the planning one: "the only night navigable port of entry on Grand Bahama Island."
⚠️ Read the depth before the length. Eight feet at mean low tide is the binding constraint at West End, not the 120-foot maximum. A 100-footer drawing seven feet is a tide-and-daylight decision at this dock, and 8 ft at mean low tide is the figure to plan against.
Blue Marlin Cove, also at West End in Bootle Bay, takes "up to 70-foot boats" and has a restaurant on the property. Slip details, power and rates come from the office — call ahead.
Lucaya is where the big boats go. Grand Bahama Yacht Club takes "boats and yachts up to 200 ft", describes itself as a "Designated Bahamas Port of Entry where you can clear customs and immigration", and runs 24-hour security and a fuel dock with high-speed pumps delivering triple-filtered fuel. Contact is VHF 16, and slip count, controlling depth, amperage and rates are all settled on that call.
Port Lucaya Marina sits in the same Lucaya basins. Confirm it is open and taking transients before you plan a stop there — or before you route around it.
Fuel comes ashore in three places on this island — West End's high-speed 92-octane and diesel, Lucaya's triple-filtered high-speed pumps, and the yard in Freeport. It is one of the practical reasons a boat stops here.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbour63 slips "with dockage accommodating vessels up to 120'" over a controlling depth of "8 feet at mean low tide", 24-hour security, and its own claim to be "the only night navigable port of entry on Grand Bahama Island." Hail VHF 16 and switch to Channel 10. The 8-foot depth is the binding constraint here, not the 120-foot length. | West End — the island's western landfall | 120 ft | 63 | High-speed fuel — 92 octane gas and diesel |
| Grand Bahama Yacht ClubThe island's big-boat berth: the club states "accommodating boats and yachts up to 200 ft", with 24-hour security and contact on VHF 16. Slip count, controlling depth, amperage and rates are settled with the club on that channel. | Lucaya, Freeport | 200 ft | — | Fuel dock with high-speed pumps delivering triple-filtered fuel |
| Blue Marlin Cove Resort & MarinaTakes "up to 70-foot boats", with a restaurant on the property. Slip details, power and rates come from the office, so call ahead. A real option at West End for a boat inside that length. | Bootle Bay, West End | 70 ft | — | — |
| Port Lucaya MarinaIn the Lucaya basins. Slips, length, depth and rates are arranged by phone, and it is worth confirming the marina is open and taking transients before you plan a stop there — or before you route around it. | Port Lucaya, Freeport | — | — | — |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from Grand Bahama
The refit case is the reason this page exists, so take it first. Bradford Marine Bahamas states, on its own site:
- a 150-ton Marine Travelift
- a 1,200-ton drydock
- capacity for "over 25' of draft" and "unrestricted air draft"
- a 47-acre facility
- "a fully-equipped machine shop capable of large propeller repair, welding, MRI scans and dynamic balance"
and describes itself as "the only full-service yacht facility in the Bahamas capable of repairs and refits."
The island's other yard is not a yacht yard. Grand Bahama Shipyard, in Freeport Harbour, is a commercial and cruise-ship drydock complex. Its own site publishes "45,000+ tonnes" of docking capacity, vessels "up to 300 m (985 ft)", 1 km of deep water berth at 14 m, and shoreside cranes to 64 tonnes at the quay. Worth knowing, so that the island's commercial tonnage is never mistaken for yacht capacity — the yacht yard here is Bradford.
Clearing in works the same as everywhere in The Bahamas, and the 2026 schedule is the one to budget against. The Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation published revised cruising permit and anchorage fees under Regulations 91 and 91B, effective 1 April 2026:
| Permit | ≤30 ft | 30–50 ft | 50–100 ft | Over 100 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-day (no free re-entry) | $150 | $250 | $350 | $600 |
| 6-month (one free re-entry) | — | $300 | $750 | $2,000 |
| 12-month (two free re-entries) | — | $500 | $1,000 | $3,000 |
Two schedules are live at once, so carry both numbers. The Bahamas Customs Department's Pleasure Vessels page bands 3-month and 12-month permits at 34, 100, 150 and 200 feet, which prices a 60-footer at $300 against the Ministry's $350 and a 120-footer at $500 against $600. Plan against the effective-dated Ministry schedule above.
The rules that catch American owners, all from the official regulations: clear at a designated port of entry; fly the yellow quarantine flag and keep everyone but the captain aboard until cleared; foreign pleasure vessels over 50 feet must run AIS at all times in Bahamian waters, with a stated $1,000 fine for non-compliance; the permit covers departure tax for three people, then $30 each; a fishing permit is separate at $100 under 50 feet and $300 over, and expires at thirty days even under a twelve-month cruising permit; outbound clearance documents are $75 where the next port needs them. Filing is through Click2Clear, and Customs states no username or password is required.
Anchorage fees are separate and apply only to vessels not docking at a marina — $50 to $200 for thirty days, to $1,500 for twelve months over 100 feet. In the Ministry's own framing the fee applies "only if a vessel actually anchors."
The protected water is real. The Bahamas National Trust records Peterson Cay National Park — declared 1 April 1968, originally 1.5 acres, expanded to 1,000 acres in 2015, and "the only cay on Grand Bahama's leeward shore." Treat it as protected water: anchor in sand well clear of coral, and confirm current rules with the Trust before planning a stop.
- Peterson Cay National Park — Grand Bahama's leeward shore, east of LucayaDeclared a national park on 1 April 1968 at 1.5 acres and expanded to 1,000 acres in 2015 — "the only cay on Grand Bahama's leeward shore." Treat it as protected water: anchor in sand well clear of coral, and confirm current rules with the Bahamas National Trust before planning a stop.
- Anchoring in The Bahamas — the fee, and when it applies — Bahamian waters generallyFrom 1 April 2026 the Regulation 91B anchorage fee is separate from the cruising permit and, in the Ministry's own framing, applies "only if a vessel actually anchors" rather than on entering the country. Thirty days runs $50 not exceeding 30 ft, $100 from 30 to 100 ft and $200 over 100 ft; twelve months runs $200, $350 and $1,500.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford Marine BahamasThe island's yacht yard. Its own site states a 150-ton Marine Travelift, a 1,200-ton drydock, capacity for "over 25' of draft" and "unrestricted air draft", a 47-acre facility, and "a fully-equipped machine shop capable of large propeller repair, welding, MRI scans and dynamic balance" — describing itself as "the only full-service yacht facility in the Bahamas capable of repairs and refits." | Freeport Harbour | — | — |
| Grand Bahama Shipyard — commercial, not a yacht yardA cruise-ship and commercial repair complex, here so that the island's commercial drydock capacity is never mistaken for yacht capacity. Its own site publishes "45,000+ tonnes" of docking capability, vessels "up to 300 m (985 ft)", "1Km of deep water berth" at 14 m, and shoreside cranes to 64 tonnes at the quay. The yacht yard on this island is Bradford, and its figures are an order of magnitude smaller. | Freeport Harbour | — | — |
On the Grand Bahama calendar
Grand Bahama runs year-round, and the operators work to hours rather than seasons.
- Old Bahama Bay Customs and Immigration check-in: 09:00–17:00, with the marina's own claim to be "the only night navigable port of entry on Grand Bahama Island." Pre-clearance is offered through Island Fast Pass.
- Grand Bahama Yacht Club is a designated port of entry with 24-hour security; rates are agreed with the club direct on VHF 16.
- Bahamas cruising permits run on their own clocks now — 30-day, 6-month and 12-month, the latter two carrying one and two free re-entries. From 1 April 2026 that duration choice, not a season, is what shapes a Bahamas cruising year.
- Fishing permits expire at thirty days regardless of the cruising permit's length. If the plan is a season of fishing, that is a recurring renewal, not a one-off.
Tournament and regatta dates are set by the organisers — confirm them directly. The clearance hours and the permit clocks above are the dates that actually change a trip.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Grand Bahama
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the largest yacht that can dock on Grand Bahama?
Grand Bahama Yacht Club at Lucaya takes yachts up to 200 feet, and is a designated Bahamas port of entry with a fuel dock delivering triple-filtered fuel; slip count and controlling depth are settled with the club on VHF 16. Old Bahama Bay at West End has 63 slips to 120 feet over a controlling depth of 8 feet at mean low tide, and Blue Marlin Cove takes 70 feet. Depth, not length, is usually what decides at West End — 8 feet at mean low tide is the binding constraint there, not the 120-foot maximum.
Is there dock and dine on Grand Bahama?
Not in the sense of tying up at a restaurant — dining here works from a berth. Blue Marlin Cove has a restaurant on the marina property; Old Bahama Bay is a resort marina where a boat can clear in, fuel, berth and eat without moving again; and the Lucaya strip is a short walk from the marina basins. In every case the tie-up is a marina transaction and the walk is short, so pick the basin rather than the table.
How far is Grand Bahama from Florida by boat?
West End is the closest point, and Old Bahama Bay puts it at 56 miles from Florida. That makes it the shortest crossing to Grand Bahama and the reason West End, rather than Freeport or Lucaya, is the usual first stop. It is a single-day run in the right weather window, and the window rather than the range is the limiting factor for most boats.
Where can a yacht be hauled out in The Bahamas?
Freeport, on Grand Bahama. Bradford Marine Bahamas states a 150-ton Marine Travelift, a 1,200-ton drydock, capacity for over 25 feet of draft and unrestricted air draft on a 47-acre site, and describes itself as the only full-service yacht facility in The Bahamas capable of repairs and refits. Grand Bahama Shipyard, also in Freeport, is a commercial and cruise-ship drydock complex — its 45,000-plus tonnes and 300-metre capability are not yacht services.
Where do you clear customs by boat on Grand Bahama?
Two published options. Old Bahama Bay at West End has on-site Bahamian Customs and Immigration with check-in hours of 09:00 to 17:00, offers pre-clearance through Island Fast Pass, and states it is the only night-navigable port of entry on the island. Grand Bahama Yacht Club at Lucaya is a designated Bahamas port of entry where customs and immigration can be cleared. Fly the yellow quarantine flag on arrival and keep everyone but the captain aboard until the vessel is cleared.
What does it cost to bring a yacht into The Bahamas in 2026?
Under the schedule the Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation published effective 1 April 2026, a 30-day cruising permit is $150 up to 30 feet, $250 from 30 to 50 feet, $350 from 50 to 100 feet and $600 over 100 feet. Six months is $300, $750 and $2,000 with one free re-entry; twelve months is $500, $1,000 and $3,000 with two. Anchorage fees are separate and apply only when the vessel is not at a marina. A fishing permit is another $100 or $300 and expires at thirty days regardless of the cruising permit. The Bahamas Customs Department also publishes a different schedule banded at 34, 100, 150 and 200 feet — a $50 to $100 difference on most boats, so carry both numbers.