Reviews: Marsh Harbour

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Marsh Harbour

Location: Great Abaco Island
Lat / Lon: N 26° 32.820' / W 077° 03.510'
Depth: 6'-9'
Tide: 2.5'-3.0'
Description:
Anchor anywhere in the harbor that does not block access to the marinas. The best holding is found in 6’-8’ of water directly south of WP #3 as shown on entrance channel chart. Upon reaching WP#3 make a sharp turn to starboard and drop anchor anywhere draft permits.
Be cautious when maneuvering in the area west of the Union Jack dock as there are several uncharted shoals in addition to the charted shoal that extends north from the south shore of the harbor. The holding in the eastern end of the harbor, east of The Conch Inn Marina, is soft and the area should be considered as a last resort for anchoring. Fortunately there is usually plenty of room, so it is not difficult to avoid that part of the harbor for anchoring.

4.14

(7)

4.14 out of 5 stars

Holding:

4.86

Good, grass and sand

Wind Protection:

4.14

Somewhat exposed west

Current Flow:

4.20

Wake Protection:

3.29

Lots of wakes during the day

Scenic Beauty:

2.71

Ease of Shopping:

4.86

Shore Access:

4.71

Dinghy dock nearby or at the marinas

Pet Friendly:

4.60

Dinghy dock nearby

Cell Service:

4.83

Good coverage

WiFi:

3.33

Review for Marsh Harbour

Reviewed by: Tony Buntyn on May 8, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 47'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

4

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

5

Current Flow:

5

Wake Protection:

4

Scenic Beauty:

3

Ease of Shopping:

5

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

5

Excellent holding and protection, spacious anchorage. Colors restaurant/bar has a dinghy dock and excellent local intel. Union Jack is a public pier/dinghy dock, trash dumpsters on site, free of charge. Maxwells Grocery is an excellent grocery and about 1/2 mile from the Union Jack Dock.

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Review for Marsh Harbour

Reviewed by: Lawrence Wolfenden on May 16, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 38'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

4

Holding:

4

Wind Protection:

4

Current Flow:

4

Wake Protection:

3

Scenic Beauty:

3

Ease of Shopping:

4

Shore Access:

4

Cell Service:

4

There is a lot of room and plenty of depth throughout most of the harbour with very good holding. With the harbour being only 1/4 nm or so north-south and the anchoring area only 3/4 nm east-west, there's little fetch for building waves on N to SW winds. A strong NW wind, however, has a lot of room to build waves, so do take note of when a front or storm sets up to blow from that direction. Note that any mooring balls you find are private and should not be used.

There are several options for shore access: Conch Inn Marina asks for $10 if you don't plan on eating/drinking in their restaurant, Snappa's. There is a small concrete platform adjacent (east side) to Harbour View Marina which is right next to Bay Street and across from Jimmy's Wines and Spirits--very convenient for loading cases of beer without a long walk. It is possible to tie up next to Color's restaurant, but there is still a lot of debris in the water there, so we never actually tried that spot. Our preferred option was the Union Jack Public Dock which had a lot of space and good ladders. The public dock was closest to "the traffic light" (the only one on the island) and provided the shortest distance to Maxwell's grocery, the Shell fuel station (where you can get your propane tank refilled overnight), banks, the Red Top hardware store, Maxwell's newly-opened hardware store, and Bubble's laundromat. There are a number of other shopping and dining options within 3/4 miles of the public dock. Additionally, there is a trash dumpster at the streetside end of the public dock. The memorial to the lives lost to Dorian is within a block on Bay Street.

Marsh Harbour is coming back from Dorian amazingly well. While we were there in March 2023 the Jib Room (north side) opened both their restaurant and marina back up.

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Review for Marsh Harbour

Reviewed by: Mike Worsley, Islena, on May 14, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

5

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

5

Wake Protection:

5

Scenic Beauty:

4

Ease of Shopping:

5

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

5

Cell Service:

5

WiFi:

5

There are no mooring balls, plenty of space to anchor with good holding. We took the dinghy to Colors Bar. Great music and food. There is a conch guy right there making fresh salad. Liquor store across the street.

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Review for Marsh Harbour

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 11, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

3

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

4

Current Flow:

4

Wake Protection:

3

Scenic Beauty:

2

Ease of Shopping:

5

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

5

Cell Service:

5

WiFi:

1

Marsh Harbour was decimated by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019. We arrived to a busy harbour that can hold a large number of vessels. Several Navigation aids are in place but do not all correlate with current Explorer or Navionics charts. Entry is easy for cruising vessels with depths accurately portrayed on charts. Only several sunken vessels remain and they are not in the main anchorage area and are clearly marked. Protection from wind/waves is very good. Marsh Harbour is the third largest settlement in the Bahamas and should be treated like any other large city. It is the only place we have seen dinghy's locked at the dinghy dock. The dock is new and in excellent shape, but surrounding buildings were destroyed. A large garbage bin is at the end of the dock. There is no charge. There is a memorial to those that lost their lives in Dorian very close by. Only one restaurant named Colors is open on the water currently. Food and service were good. A second dinghy dock is available at Conch Inn Marina for a $10 landing fee. The employees there are wonderful and will help you in any way possible and keep watch over the dinghy's. There is a car rental on Bay Street just to the east. Cars and vans were in good condition. It's a short walk to downtown where you will find additional restaurants, auto supply, hardware, gift shops with local crafts, etc. The grocery is the largest we found in any of the out islands and was extremely well stocked.

Drone video of Marsh Harbour anchorage:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/410675187729767/

Photos of Marsh Harbour and surrounding areas:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/411465730984046/

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Review for Marsh Harbour

Reviewed by: Doug Hobbs, Rock Chalk, on May 10, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 44'
Draft: 6.0'

Overall Rating:

3

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

5

Wake Protection:

3

Scenic Beauty:

2

Ease of Shopping:

5

Shore Access:

4

Cell Service:

5

Initially was going to by-pass Marsh Harbour due to hearing post-Dorian rumors about harbor littered with hurricane debris and problems anchoring. Due to forecasted strong west winds, however, and relatively few alternatives, we anchored almost on top of the anchor symbol in about 8' of water. Spent 3 nights in 25 to 30 kts; a little choppy but great holding. The only marina open is Conch Inn Marina, which has all new fixed docks and been recently dredged. They charged us $10 to dock our dinghy, and said we could bring trash in for an additional charge. An alternative we later discovered was a new fixed dock where Rainbow Rentals used to be which allows dinghies to tie off on the east side, with a dumpster for free trash disposal.
The only restaurants open we could find were Colors (on the harbor, east of the dinghy dock), Fatty's Conch Salad (adjacent to Colors), Wally's (in its same location) and S&V (on the road to Maxwell's Supermarket). Maxwell's has been rebuilt and is better than ever.
Marsh Harbour, which took the brunt of Dorian, is slowly coming back, a testament to the tenacity and work ethic of its residents.

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Review for Marsh Harbour

Reviewed by: Lucy Wilcox, Independence, on Apr 6, 2018
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 38'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

5

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

4

Wake Protection:

1

Scenic Beauty:

2

Ease of Shopping:

5

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

5

Cell Service:

5

Secure anchorage for visiting Marsh Harbour. One of the only harbors in the Abacos with good holding, decent wind protection, and no moorings (room to anchor). Can be crowded during season. Excellent holding in sticky sand, 5 - 8 feet at mean low water. Protection from all but southwest-west, and that can get bumpy. Expect large wakes often. Try to avoid the "channel" between the entrance and the marinas to minimize wake problems. Dinghy to the Union Jack dock or the dinghy dock between Mangos and Harbor View. Supermarkets, hardware, marine supply, and anything else you might need is nearby. Taxis monitor VHF Channel 06 but are usually waiting at the Union Jack dock.

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Review for Marsh Harbour

Reviewed by: Andre Bedard on Jan 9, 2018
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 38'
Draft: 3.0'

Overall Rating:

5

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

4

Current Flow:

3

Wake Protection:

4

Scenic Beauty:

3

Ease of Shopping:

5

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

3

Cell Service:

5

WiFi:

4

With 35 kts, never moved. Sand bottom, cell service perfect, public dock safe, and grocery and hardware store near. Auto parts like napa are there !!

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