We just got back from the most unique family vacation we have ever taken! We spent the last 7 days on a private, 8-person, catamaran, boating through the Exumas Islands. Our best friends Sarah (aka @lifeonvirigniastreet) and Kurtis, joined us.

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Penny Jo was the name of the boat we took. It sleeps 8 but that includes 2 crew members. Martin drove the ship and the dinghy that took us from the boat to the islands, while his partner, Suzanna, prepared all the meals. They were WONDERFUL! I can’t say enough how good the food was and because Suzanna had asked us to fill out a preference form ahead of the trip she catered to our group’s favorites (and grabbed as much organic food as possible at my request). 

We flew into Nassau and quickly got through customs to our private transfer service to the marina. Once we boarded the boat we did a quick tour and safety procedures before a delicious lunch that Suzanna had prepared. From there we headed out and started our way down to the Exumas.

The first day of the trip was high 60’s so some of us snorkeled around the Norman Cay plane crash site (since the water there is mid 70’s) before we headed to an island where we could feed the iguanas. We did more traveling that day and enjoyed amazing food and played a lot of games between islands. 

Visiting Pig Beach

The next day we packed in several adventures including snorkeling at Thunderball Grotto, visiting the swimming pigs at “Pig Island”, and swimming with nurse sharks. The cave snorkeling will forever be one of my favorite family adventures. Cam (who is 9) says that Pig Island was his favorite experience of the trip.

Peggy Jo Sailing Charter includes several games on board but we also brought a few of our own and I’d recommend packing a few favorites because we played games after dinner every evening. Our favorites were Farkle and SkyJo.

The following day we went snorkeling again in an underwater “aquarium” and then headed to a private beach where we found so many great shells. That afternoon we headed to Compass Cay and did a 1.5 mile hike to Boo-Boo Hill, a lookout where we could see out over the entire island and across the surrounding water. We hiked in flip flops but you might consider sneakers since the rocky terrain can be a bit uneven. 

The next couple days we sailed between islands some more and then anchored down just off shore of Shroud Cay and took the dinghy through the mangroves to check out the sea turtles. At the end of the ride through the mangroves we let out at an area called “The Washing Machine” where there is a swirl created by the tidal waves that can knock you around like a washing machine.

On our final full day we sailed about 7 hours back toward the marina and anchored down fairly close around 3 pm. We were able to swim and dive for a few hours before dinner and it was nice to wake up and have almost no travel ahead of us to hop off the boat the next morning.

I would HIGHLY recommend this type of trip if you’re looking for a relaxing vacation that offers a lot of quality time as well as adventure. It was so nice to be able to do so many excursions without packing up to change locations, all while being papered with great food along the way. The boat we took, Penny Jo Sailing Charter, was super clean and had several living spaces on
the top deck so that we could spread out.

When I did a question box on Instagram a lot of you inquired about cost which is available on the Penny Jo Charter’s Website. The cost includes all food, alcohol, and excursions and ended up being around $5,000 per person with tax and tip. I saw on their Instagram that Penny Jo Sailing Charters post that they are offering $4,000 off 8 night trips in February and March (2025). We paid for airfare and airport transfers separate from the boat fee. If you want to see videos from our trip you can check out this Instagram highlight.

A FEW THINGS I WOULD RECOMMEND AHEAD OF YOUR TRIP:

• Pack light – we only wore comfy clothes and never put on makeup. 
• Pack in a duffle bag – you don’t want to use precious boat space to store a suitcase.
• Bring games – the boat has games but we played our own games every single night every dinner.
• Bring these underwater phone cases rather than underwater cameras – you can get great shots on video mode while snorkeling. 
• Download books to audible or podcasts so listen to during your sailing between island destinations. We didn’t want to risk motion sickness by reading or staying on devices while moving.
• Consider white noise in the evening to sleep. We use white noise at home and I used it on my phone after the first night because there were some new noises that kept me up a bit the first night. After that I slept great.

GAMES:

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS: 

If you have any questions about the trip feel free to drop them below! I would definitely put this on your bucket list if you like a vacation experience that is a mix of relaxation and adventure.