The Abacos & Out Islands
The Abacos, a 120-mile chain of cays in the northern Bahamas, are one of the world's great sailing grounds, where protected turquoise waters and steady trade winds make for easy, idyllic cruising between islands.
The barrier cays shelter the Sea of Abaco, dotted with candy-colored loyalist settlements like Hope Town with its iconic red-and-white striped lighthouse, New Plymouth and Man-O-War Cay, where clapboard cottages, picket fences and boat-building traditions feel a world away.
Charter a sailboat or hop the local ferries to anchor off empty beaches, snorkel the reefs, dine on conch and fresh fish at a harbor bar, and feel the unhurried rhythm of the Out Islands; the Bahamas as it used to be, quiet, friendly and gloriously laid-back.
