Bahamas

The Bahamas are less a destination than a way of cruising: short hops between low islands over water so clear the depth reads off the colour. The Exumas are the heart of it, a chain of cays with anchorages on both sides depending on the wind, and the Abacos to the north are more sheltered and more settled.

Draught decides the itinerary here more than anywhere else in the Caribbean. The banks are shallow and the passes between them are shallower still, which is why the fleet that works these waters runs to shoal-draught motor yachts and catamarans rather than deep-keeled sailing yachts.