Palm Cay Marina near Nassau: Getting There, Harbour Info and Sailing Destinations

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Palm Cay Marina lies on the southeast coast of the Bahamian island of New Providence, in the Yamacraw district, around a 15-minute drive southeast of central Nassau. Here you can read how to get from the airport to the marina, where to shop, what winds to expect, which sailing destinations lie beyond the entrance, and what skippers should know about clearing in and berthing.

Where is Palm Cay Marina?

Palm Cay Marina lies on the southeast shore of New Providence, near the eastern end of the island, in the Palm Cay residential and holiday resort in the Yamacraw district. The marina basin covers around three hectares and has its own entrance channel. Nassau Harbour lies on the island’s north coast.

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To avoid confusion: around 450 metres to the east lies the Port New Providence residential development with its own harbour, while the marinas in Nassau Harbour are on the other side of the island.

Arriving at Palm Cay Marina for the start of your sailing trip

If you are travelling by air, you will land at Nassau’s international airport.

From Lynden Pindling Airport to the marina

Lynden Pindling International Airport (code NAS) is the largest airport in the Bahamas and lies in the west of New Providence, around 19 kilometres from the marina as the crow flies. By car, you can be in Palm Cay in around 35 minutes.

Taxis wait outside all three terminals, that is the US, international and domestic terminals. They leave the airport at fixed zone fares, which apply to two people. As things stand (November 2026), each additional passenger costs 5 US dollars, each item of luggage beyond two per person 2.20 US dollars and oversized luggage 3.30 US dollars. Children under three travel free of charge. Hire cars and pre-booked transfers are also available at the airport. The Palm Cay concierge can also arrange the transfer to the marina.

To enter the country at the airport, you need a passport that is valid for at least another six months, and a return ticket or other proof of onward travel. You fill in the arrival card before you arrive. Nationals of many countries, including the EU states and Switzerland, do not need a visa. The list of visa-exempt countries is published by the Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Getting around the island by car, bus or taxi

The public minibuses, known in the Bahamas as jitneys, run mainly through the city centre and along Cable Beach. As things stand (November 2026), a ride costs around 1.50 US dollars, and you pay the exact fare when getting off. With a week's worth of luggage, a taxi is more comfortable. There are currently no app-based ride services in Nassau. For errands during your stay, the marina also rents out its own car, which you can book by the hour, for 11 US dollars per hour. Traffic drives on the left in the Bahamas.

Parking

A car park lies around 250 metres northwest of the marina basin. Palm Cay is a gated development with round-the-clock security and video surveillance.

Showers and sanitary facilities

The marina has showers and toilets as well as a laundry. A usage fee applies for the laundry.

Shopping for the trip

You do not have to go far for provisions. The nearest supermarket is Solomon’s SuperCentre, around 900 metres west of the marina and reachable on foot. A little further away, around 1.5 kilometres, is Budget Foods. For a bigger shop, drive to the Super Value supermarket, around 1.9 kilometres away, or head towards Nassau, for example to the Fresh Market supermarket or the Harbour Bay shopping centre.

Right in the marina there is a small shop, ice and a café on the pontoon. On request, the marina concierge will also take care of provisioning, and the restaurant prepares packed lunches for day trips.

Doctor, pharmacy and emergency services

Princess Margaret Hospital on Shirley Street in central Nassau has an emergency department. Also on Shirley Street, about 8.5 kilometres from the marina, is the private Doctors Hospital, which also has an emergency department. The Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (BASRA), the country's sea rescue service, has a station at Palm Cay itself. In an emergency, use these numbers:

• 919: emergency number for police, fire brigade and ambulance; 911: police and ambulance
• +1 242 322 2861: Princess Margaret Hospital and ambulance service
• +1 242 646 6395 or +1 242 359 5561: BASRA, sea rescue

What does Palm Cay Marina offer?

Palm Cay Marina is a marina for small and medium-sized yachts with 194 berths and a water depth of around 2.5 metres at low tide. The key facts at a glance (as at November 2026):

Feature	Palm Cay Marina
Location	Yamacraw, southeast coast of New Providence, southeast of Nassau
Berths	194, on fixed timber piers
Water depth	8 to 9 feet (around 2.5 m) at low tide, around 12 feet at high tide
VHF channel	16
Phone	+1 242 822 3481
Berthing fee, monohull	per foot per day incl. VAT: 6 US dollars (1 Dec to 1 Jun), 5 US dollars (2 Jun to 1 Aug), 4.50 US dollars (2 Aug to 30 Nov), calculated on the minimum length of the berth
Electricity and water	0.85 US dollars per kWh, 0.35 US dollars per gallon (around 3.8 litres)
Facilities	Electricity and water at the pier, fuel dock (petrol and diesel), free Wi-Fi
Toilets	Showers, launderette
Safety	24-hour security, CCTV, sea gate closed from 8 pm to 8 am
Distances	Nassau centre approx. 15 minutes by car, airport approx. 35 minutes by car

Equipment

Electricity and water pedestals are located along the piers, with two berths sharing each pedestal. Electricity and water are charged according to consumption. The fuel dock with petrol and diesel is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm and serves members and guests of the facility. There is also a shop, bait and ice, and a fish-cleaning station. Marina guests may use the Beach Club with its restaurant and bar, the pools, the tennis and pickleball courts and the fitness area; this is included in the berthing fee.

What wind can you expect from Palm Cay Marina?

The trade winds usually blow around New Providence. From May to September they come mainly from the east and southeast, and from October to April from the northeast and east, averaging around 8 knots. In summer, showers or thunderstorms often develop in the afternoon and are usually over within an hour.

From late October to early May, cold fronts move across the islands from North America, on average about every five days. Strong northwesterly winds blow behind the front, often followed by one or two days of north to northeasterly winds of around 25 knots. Over the following days the wind gradually backs round to the east.

The hurricane season officially runs from June to November; in the Bahamas, the critical months are mid-July to October.

Which destinations can you reach from Palm Cay Marina?

From Palm Cay, Rose Island is a short hop away, while the northern Exumas and Spanish Wells off Eleuthera are long day sails. The distances are rounded figures over water on the usual course from the marina; for precise planning, rely on the nautical chart.

• Rose Island, around the east end of New Providence: approx. 6 nm
• Allan’s Cay in the northern Exumas: approx. 29 nm
• Highbourne Cay in the Exumas: approx. 31 nm
• Spanish Wells off the northern tip of Eleuthera: approx. 43 nm

Rose Island lies to the northeast of New Providence and is the nearest destination if the first day is already half gone with shopping and the briefing.

Allan’s Cay is one of the northern Exuma Cays. The iguanas on the islands are legally protected. At around 29 nautical miles, it is best to set off early in the morning so that you arrive in the afternoon.

Highbourne Cay lies at the northern end of the Exuma chain, a little south of Allan’s Cay.

South of Highbourne Cay lies the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, established in 1958 as the first marine protected area in the Bahamas. Fishing and the collecting of shells and conchs are prohibited throughout the park. The mooring buoys are chargeable and cannot be reserved; you only pay once you are securely moored to the buoy. The park wardens on Warderick Wells monitor VHF channel 09 (“Exuma Park”).

Spanish Wells lies on St. George’s Cay, a small island off the north of Eleuthera. Because of the length of the leg, this destination is mainly worthwhile on a longer sailing trip.

What can you do on a harbour day around Palm Cay Marina?

The beach, pools and restaurant are right at the marina. For Nassau and Paradise Island, you can take a taxi or the marina's car.

• Palm Cay beach: The resort has more than 360 metres of pale sandy beach.
• Bonefish Pond National Park: Around 11 kilometres to the west as the crow flies, on the south coast, the national park protects the last tidal mangrove area in the south of New Providence. A wooden boardwalk around 180 metres long leads into the mangroves, and at high tide you can paddle through them by kayak. As things stand (November 2026), the park is open Friday to Sunday and on public holidays from 9 am to 4 pm, and adults pay an admission fee of 15 US dollars.
• Nassau city centre: On Parliament Square stand the pink-painted colonial buildings of the House of Assembly, the Senate and the Supreme Court. On Bay Street, hundreds of vendors sell woven goods, wood carvings and souvenirs at the Straw Market, as things stand (November 2026) daily from 8 am to 8 pm.
• Queen’s Staircase: The staircase in Nassau, around 31 metres high, was carved from the limestone of an old quarry by formerly enslaved people. It leads from the town up to Fort Fincastle, which the British built in the late 18th century to protect against attacks.
• Fish Fry in Arawak Cay: In Nassau, restaurants and beach shacks serving Bahamian seafood line up along Arawak Cay.

For skippers: clearing in, berthing and marine weather at Palm Cay Marina

Palm Cay Marina monitors VHF channel 16, and at night the entrance is closed by a sea gate. If you arrive from abroad, you need a cruising permit and must clear in with Bahamas Customs.

Clearing in to the Bahamas

Foreign yachts need a cruising permit for the Bahamas, a time-limited permit to sail the country's waters. It is applied for online through the Click2Clear system of Bahamas Customs. This is how it works:

• Before you arrive, you set up the trip in Click2Clear. For permits of up to twelve months, you do not need a user account. The boat is only released once the fee has been paid in full.
• After arrival, the skipper reports to customs at an official port of entry. Until customs and immigration have cleared the boat, the rest of the crew stay on board.
• The customs officer stamps and signs the permit, and only then is entry complete. For this, you present the original boat documents and the identity documents of everyone on board.

The fee depends on the length of the boat and the duration, with permits available for 30 days, six months and twelve months. If more than three people aged six or over are on board, an additional passenger fee applies. A fishing permit is always valid for 30 days only. If you anchor instead of staying in a marina, an anchoring fee is also payable. The current amounts are listed on the Bahamas Customs page on clearing in for recreational boats.

Registration and Berthing

You reserve a visitor berth through the marina, which can be reached on +1 242 822 3481 and on VHF channel 16. A deposit is due for the reservation: if you book at least a month in advance, it is half of the berthing fee for the whole stay; if you book within seven days of arrival, it is the full berthing fee. The remainder is debited seven days before arrival. If you cancel less than 60 days before arrival, the deposit is forfeited. After entering the marina, you check in at the marina office, where you are assigned your berth. Departure is by 11 am, and anyone staying longer pays for an additional day. The berths are on fixed timber docks on piles; there are no floating pontoons. Because the water level varies by almost a metre between low and high tide, leave your mooring lines enough slack.

Harbour rules

• Fishing is prohibited in the marina.
• Boats are not washed at the berth; the marina provides cleaning facilities for this.
• Major repairs at the pier are not permitted.
• A speed limit of 5 miles per hour (around 4 knots), with no wake, applies in the marina and in the entrance channel.
• Swimming and bathing are prohibited in the marina, as are barbecues and open fires.
• Children up to the age of twelve may only go onto the docks accompanied by adults, and non-swimmers and small children must wear a life jacket there.
• In the event of a hurricane warning, no later than 24 hours before the expected landfall, the marina suspends operations for guests, and all owners and crews must then leave their boats.
• The entrance through the sea gate is closed from 8 pm to 8 am, so plan to arrive before 8 pm.

Approach

The marina is on the southeast coast of New Providence and has its own entrance channel. The water depth in the marina is around 2.5 metres at low tide.

Which marine weather forecast applies around New Providence?

The Bahamas Department of Meteorology, the Bahamas weather service, is responsible. It issues a marine weather forecast several times a day, including at 6 am and 12 noon local time. In it, New Providence belongs to the “Northwest Bahamas” area and the Exumas to the “Central Bahamas”. The forecast gives wind in knots, sea state in feet, swell, shower risk and the times of high and low tide. If necessary, it includes a small craft caution for the open Atlantic waters. You can find it on the Meteorological Service website.

Sailing trips from Palm Cay on Törnfinder

You can find more departure harbours and sailing areas in the trip overview.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get from Nassau airport to Palm Cay Marina?

The easiest way is by taxi, and the journey takes around 35 minutes. Taxis wait outside all terminals and charge fixed zone fares. Alternatively, the marina concierge can arrange a transfer.

Are there showers at Palm Cay Marina?

Yes. The marina has showers and sanitary facilities, as well as a laundry.

Is there a supermarket near Palm Cay Marina?

Yes. Solomon’s SuperCentre is around 900 metres away and within walking distance, and Budget Foods is around 1.5 kilometres away. For bigger shops, head to Super Value, around 1.9 kilometres away.

Where do I park at the start of my sailing trip in Palm Cay?

There is a car park around 250 metres north-west of the marina basin.

Is Palm Cay Marina in Nassau?

It belongs to Nassau, but it is not in the city centre. It is in the Yamacraw district on the south-east coast of New Providence. The journey into the centre takes around 15 minutes.

Do I need a Cruising Permit for the Bahamas as a skipper?

Yes, every foreign yacht needs one. You apply for it online via Click2Clear and have it stamped by customs at an official port of entry after your arrival.

Which VHF channel can Palm Cay Marina be reached on?

On channel 16. You can reach the marina by phone on +1 242 822 3481.

When is the best time for a sailing trip from Palm Cay?

Outside the hurricane season, which officially runs from June to November. In winter the trade wind blows reliably, but cold fronts bring one to two days of northerly wind roughly every five days.