Cruising The Bahamas Islands For Your Next Sailing Holiday

The Bahamas is composed of approximately 700 major and minor islands along the Atlantic Ocean (of which only 30 are inhabited). Most of these islands are made of corals formed thousands of years ago. The archipelago is only 50 miles away from the US state of Florida. Sailing in Bahamas is a good start if you want to travel around the Caribbean. Its 700 mile coastline stretches as far as Haiti. Aside from this, its waters are great for both sailing and scuba diving.

Bahamas is rather a small country with an area of only 5,382 square mi. If compared, this land area is smaller than Connecticut. On the other hand, its population is also undersized with an estimated number of only 323,000 inhabitants (2005 census estimate). Most of the people in the island are Africans. However, there are also a small size of Europeans, Americans, Asians, and Hispanics.

The country's main driver of their economy is tourism (from which gambling and other forms of betting is very big). The island's several casinos, resorts, restaurants, and hotels employ almost 60 percent of the country's labor force. In addition, 60 percent of Bahamas' gross domestic product comes from their tourism sector. The rest are scattered to banking and finance, fishing, wine, and agriculture industries.

Because of the island's colorful and rich subtropical climate, many tourists and sailors have kept on going to the country. Aside from this, Bahamas also has some of the world's most beautiful sea and sky. As a matter of fact, many resorts in the country are famous internationally because of its dazzling beaches. The island also has thick vegetation and stunning wildlife. However, the country has no rivers.

The beaches of Bahamas are warm, clear, and relaxing. However, if you want places in the country that has less noise, skip crowded areas like Nassau (the island's capital and largest city), Freeport, and West End. Sailing in Bahamas is ideal especially when you go along Conception Island - considered as the one of most famous islands in the Caribbean. Conception is nice because it is not inhabited. Different kinds of marine wildlife and birds are present in the island.

Barrier reefs can also be identified along the country's coastal areas. In fact, Bahamas has the 3rd longest barrier reef in the world. Not only this, Bahamas also has approximately 15 percent of the world's corals.

Sailing in Bahamas along the Hawksnest Creek has been one of the most important strides for many sailors. In here, sailors can refuel their yachts and / or get food supplies for their trip. In addition to this, many cruisers use this place as a safeguard area especially when there is a storm or hurricane coming.

By: D. Browall

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D. Browall writes for www.sboats.com - The Worlds Largest, Most Comprehensive Directory of Companies Offering Sailing Charters. Find more information on sailing vacation Caribbean