Your crew keeps bringing up the Bahamas, and a yacht charter from Miami to the Bahamas is closer than you think. Clear water, an island lunch, no airport line, no boarding group. Here's what you might not have clocked: the closest Bahamian island sits about 50 miles off Florida's coast. A fast boat covers that water before lunch. Leave a Miami marina at sunrise and you can have your feet in Bimini sand by mid morning.
This guide is the real version of that trip. How far it is and how long it takes. Which of our boats handle the Gulf Stream best. The paperwork CBP and Bahamas Customs actually want. The weather window to respect, and what a day, a weekend or a week costs split across your group. We run this crossing with a licensed captain and crew. This comes from the people who run the boats, not a brochure.
How far is the Bahamas from Miami by boat?
Bimini, the closest Bahamian island, sits east of Miami across the Gulf Stream. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism puts it about 50 miles off Florida's coast. At 20 to 25 knots in calm water that is typically two to two and a half hours, longer when the Stream is up. It's the shortest hop from Florida to the islands.
The Gulf Stream flows north the whole way across. NOAA puts its average speed around 4 mph, reaching about 5.6 mph near the surface. Your captain steers south of the straight line and lets the current carry the boat onto the island. The heading, the timing and the day trip detail live in our Bimini crossing guide.
Which boat should you take across the Gulf Stream?
Pick by crew size and how much the Stream is moving. A heavier hull with a flybridge rides the chop better and gives your group somewhere comfortable to sit on a longer day. A light sport boat gets you there fastest on a calm morning. All four boats below leave from Miami or Miami Beach with a captain and crew, and each seats up to thirteen.
- The 52ft Prestige flybridge is my default pick for a full crew. Three cabins, two heads, and a flybridge mean thirteen people aren't stacked on top of each other. It's set up to leave Miami at sunrise and still be comfortable in Bimini at sunset. From $5,500 for the boat, captain and fuel included; entry fees, gratuity and food are extra.
- The 2024 Jeanneau DB43 is the newest hull we cross on. Its shape handles a building sea smoothly, so it's the one I book when the forecast is borderline. Thirteen aboard, two cabins, from $6,300 with captain and fuel.
- The 45ft Cantius is the roomier cruiser of the two, with two cabins for a crew that wants space below. It runs $6,000 for the boat, captain and fuel included.
- The 38ft Axopar is the fast, sporty option for a smaller group. It gets you to the sandbar first on a calm day. From $5,000, captain and fuel included.
Our fleet runs to more than 100 boats. The Bimini and Bahamas charter page lists the ones rigged for the crossing, so you can compare hulls before you commit.
What does the crossing day actually look like?
You meet the captain at a Miami marina around sunrise, load your coolers and bags, and push off while the harbor is still quiet. The Stream crossing takes up the first part of the morning. By mid morning you're clearing Bahamas Customs at Bimini, and the rest of the day is beach, water, and lunch.
The early start isn't for the photos, it's strategy. The wind and the sea state are usually calmest at first light. Leaving at sunrise buys you the smoothest water of the day for the open part of the run. We watch the gap close on the chart plotter and North Bimini comes up out of the haze. The captain runs you into the harbor to clear in. Until the boat is cleared, only the captain steps off to handle paperwork. Your crew stays aboard, so have everyone's documents ready before you tie up. Clearance usually takes a short while, then you're free to move. From there it's your day. Anchor off a beach, get in the water, eat, and watch the clock for a relaxed afternoon run back. Or stay the night aboard if you booked an overnight.
Do you need a passport to take a yacht to the Bahamas?
Bring one. The Bahamas requires proof of citizenship for everyone aboard. We ask every guest on a crossing to carry a passport so nobody is turned back at either end. The boat clears Bahamas Customs and Immigration at the port of entry on arrival. Until it's cleared, only the captain may step off.
Your captain handles the vessel paperwork on both sides, including clearance into The Bahamas and the report home. Bahamas Customs publishes the rules and the fee schedule. Plan for the island entry fee separately. Our Prestige and Jeanneau pages list it at $35 for each guest, paid on arrival and outside the charter rate.
Coming home, U.S. Customs and Border Protection requires the vessel to report its arrival as soon as it reaches Miami. That is done by phone, in person or through the free CBP ROAM app, and the captain runs it. For sea re-entry CBP accepts a U.S. passport, passport card or enhanced driver's licence from U.S. citizens. We ask every guest for a passport because it is the one document that works at both ends. Guests who are not U.S. citizens should check their own visa or ESTA position before the date.
When is the best time to cross from Miami to the Bahamas?
Cross on a day with light wind from the south or southeast, and skip any day with real wind from the north. North wind against the north flowing Gulf Stream stacks up steep, dangerous seas far bigger than the wind alone. The calmest windows run late spring through early fall, which is also hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center puts it at June 1 to November 30, peaking around September 10.
This is the rule we won't bend. A 15 knot north wind on a flat day in the bay turns the middle of the Stream into short, hard waves. The current and the wind are fighting each other. So we watch the forecast and pick the window, not the calendar date. The go or no go is the captain's call, and for a Bahamas crossing you hear by 6pm the day before. If the captain cancels for weather you choose a new date at no extra charge, a full refund, or a 12 month credit. Our cancellation policy sets that out. A confirmed charter is otherwise nonrefundable, so read that page before you book a crossing in September.
The boats carry the safety gear Florida and the Coast Guard require. That means a wearable life jacket for every person plus a throwable device, a fire extinguisher, and day and night distress signals. Every boat also carries a means of making a sound signal. Your captain also leaves a float plan with someone ashore so they know your route and timing. You don't have to think about any of this, but you should know it's handled.
What does a Miami to Bahamas charter cost?
A private crossing is priced by the boat, not per person. Our Bimini day trips run $5,000 to $6,300 for the boat, captain and fuel included, no sales tax. On the 52ft Prestige at $5,500 a full crew of thirteen pays about $423 a head for the boat; twelve pay about $458.
Three things sit outside that number, and you should plan for all of them. The island entry fee as listed on our own Bimini boat pages, $35 for each guest. Bahamas Customs publishes its own arrival charges separately. Your captain confirms the final figure in writing before the deposit. Gratuity for the captain and crew, customarily 15 to 20 percent, in cash. And food, drink and anything you spend on the island. Pay by Zelle and the boat price is the price; a card adds a 5 percent fee. A 50 percent deposit holds the date and the balance is due at boarding. For a real figure on your dates and crew, message us for a quote and you'll usually hear back in about a minute.
Things worth doing once you reach Bimini
Bimini packs a lot into a small island. The Bahamas tourism board bills it as the Sport Fishing Capital of the World. Radio Beach, the SS Sapona wreck and the hammerhead dives are all covered in our Bimini day trip guide.
If your crew has more than a day, the crossing opens the door to the rest of the Bahamas. From Bimini you can keep going southeast toward the Exumas, where the swimming pigs draw a crowd and the cays get quieter. For a warm up closer to home, a Miami sandbar day is a good test run before the full crossing.
Can you charter a yacht from Miami to the Bahamas for several days?
Yes. A multi day Bahamas charter runs on the bigger boats, with cabins, crew and a galley. The 166ft Trinity carries up to thirteen guests and is priced by the day and the week.
Published rates: $35,000 for 24 hours aboard and $255,000 for a full week, captain and fuel included. Bahamas entry fees, dockage, provisioning and gratuity are quoted on top. Tell us your route and dates and we put every line in the quote before you pay.
Ten days from Miami through Bimini to the Exumas is the classic route, and the superyacht end of the fleet is built for it. The crossing day still follows the same weather rules as a day trip.
Is a Bahamas crossing a good honeymoon or anniversary trip?
It's one of the best ones we run. A private boat, a quiet beach and a captain who knows where the water is clearest make the day feel bigger than the distance. Couples usually pick the 45ft Cantius or the Jeanneau DB43 for the cabins.
For a proposal or an anniversary dinner on the water, tell us when you book and the crew plans around it. Overnights aboard start with the same boats and add a night at anchor or in a Bimini marina.
How to book your Miami to Bahamas crossing
Booking is a conversation, not a checkout maze. Tell us your dates, your group size, and whether you want a day, an overnight or a week. We match you to the right hull and a captain who crosses this water regularly. We watch the forecast for your window and move the date if the Stream looks ugly. A safe, smooth crossing beats a scheduled one every time.
Message Bill T. and the captains for a quote and you'll usually hear back in about a minute. If you already know you want the islands, start on the Bimini and Bahamas charter page. Or tell us your dates here and we'll take it from there.
