Cape Santa Maria: Long Island's White-Sand Crown and Turquoise Yacht Anchorage

Cape Santa Maria crowns the northern end of Long Island with one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in The Bahamas. Its powder-soft white sand extends for roughly four miles beside calm, intensely turquoise water, creating an exceptional setting for swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding and long afternoons at anchor. For yacht charter guests exploring the Southern Out Islands, Cape Santa Maria offers the rare combination of extraordinary natural beauty and useful access to amenities ashore.

The cape sits beside Calabash Bay on Long Island's sheltered western coast, where the shallow waters of the Great Bahama Bank provide a dramatic contrast to the Atlantic-facing cliffs on the opposite side of the island. Bonefish flats, coral reefs and small offshore cays surround the area, while nearby dive sites include reefs, walls and wrecks inhabited by rays, turtles and abundant tropical fish.

Cape Santa Maria also makes an excellent first or final stop when cruising Long Island from north to south. Charter guests can explore Columbus Point and the northern tip of the island before continuing toward Stella Maris, Thompson Bay and Clarence Town, or spend several days enjoying Calabash Bay itself. Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort provides dining and activities ashore, adding a level of comfort without changing the area's secluded Out Island character.

Cape Santa Maria lies at the northern end of Long Island, with most yacht traffic using Calabash Bay along the western side of Galliot Cay. The bay is broad and relatively straightforward to approach in good conditions, but depths become shallower toward shore and across the surrounding banks. Current charts, careful depth monitoring and good daylight remain important, particularly for deeper-draft yachts navigating close to the beach.

Yachts rounding the northern cape should also pay close attention to weather and sea state. The western coast offers substantially calmer cruising than Long Island's exposed Atlantic shore during prevailing easterly conditions, but Calabash Bay remains open to the south and west. There is no large yacht marina at Cape Santa Maria, so visiting yachts generally remain at anchor and use their tender for access to the beach and resort.

Calabash Bay is the principal anchorage for Cape Santa Maria and offers depths of approximately 6 to 15 feet with good holding in sand. The entire bay can be used, although the northern section near Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort is particularly popular because it offers slightly better protection and convenient access ashore. Protection is strongest from northeast through southeast during the prevailing easterly winds.

The anchorage is open toward the south and west and can develop uncomfortable surge when winds strengthen or shift into those directions. Even in easterly weather, some swell may remain in the bay, particularly as conditions approach 20 knots. Yachts should therefore monitor the forecast carefully and keep an alternative anchorage in mind if western weather is expected.

Cape Santa Maria is best known for its four-mile beach, but the surrounding area offers considerably more than a beautiful anchorage. Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort provides a restaurant and organizes snorkeling, scuba diving, bonefishing, deep-sea fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding and excursions around Long Island. Nearby dive sites include Flamingo Tongue Reef, Angelfish Reef, Turtle Heads and the MV Comberback wreck.

For charter guests, Cape Santa Maria works equally well as a peaceful beach stop or as a base for exploring northern Long Island. Columbus Point, nearby bonefish flats and the secluded shores around Galliot Cay can all be incorporated into the itinerary before continuing south through the island.