My Best Sailing Day in the Bahamas | Downwind Across Little Bahama Bank to Mangrove Cay, Grand Bahama

Name: My Best Sailing Day in the Bahamas | Downwind Across Little Bahama Bank to Mangrove Cay, Grand Bahama
Uploaded: 2026-06-04T04:15:08.000Z
Duration: 15 min 20 s
Description: Charted 3.5-meter anchorage proved only 2.2 meters deep; a neighboring boat touched bottom first.

3. juni 2026 · 15 min · 2K visninger · New Providence, Bahamas

Sailing vessel Mirage glides toward Mangrove Cay at sunset.

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Vlad sails the Amel 50 Mirage on a 56-mile downwind passage across Little Bahama Bank from the Abacos to Mangrove Cay, Grand Bahamas, departing at 9 a.m. with 19–20 knots of wind on a broad reach at 160–170 degrees apparent. The boat holds 6.5–7 knots throughout, with flat water and no ocean swell — a sharp contrast to the rough offshore conditions Vlad describes from earlier Bahamas passages.0:07 Before departure, the hull was cleaned and the paddlewheel speed sensor cleared. An attempted anchorage en route showed charted depth of 3.5 meters but actual depth around 2.2 meters; a neighboring boat, Sea Weaver, touched bottom, and Vlad turned back after watching it happen. Mid-passage, Vlad extends the route by 20 miles to Mangrove Cay to position for a direct run to Customs and Immigration at Grand Bahamas the following day. Depth over Little Bahama Bank runs about 4 meters. At Mangrove Cay, Vlad anchors close to shore, trusting Vionix over the chart, with 2.5 meters confirmed at low tide. Charted depths on the Bahama Banks can be significantly shallower than indicated.