The Exuma Islands have everything that makes the Bahamas one of the premier yacht charter locations in the world: delightful small islands, pristine white beaches, interesting and historic places, exotic creatures, friendly locals, all 120 miles of them..!! A yachting paradise.

Exuma has the distinction of being the only island in the Bahamas, and perhaps the Caribbean, where not one but two James Bond movies were filmed. Those films, Thunderball and Never Say Never Again, were both filmed in Staniel Cay.

There are 365 islands and cays that lie strung out across over 120 miles of ocean that make up The Exumas. From the air, these cays look like jeweled stepping stones surrounded by a shimmering emerald sea giving this chain the distinction of being one of the prettiest in The Islands of The Bahamas. The bright white sand of the deserted beaches is a striking contrast to the deep aquamarine and jade hues of the water.

Most of Exuma's 3,600 residents live on Great Exuma or Little Exuma, the two largest islands that are connected by a short bridge. These friendly and outgoing people are genuinely happy to receive vacationers. Most Exumians make their living fishing or farming, with the main crops being onions, tomatoes, pigeon peas, guavas, papayas and mangoes.

Visitors will also find wild cotton growing on Exuma, a testament to the importance of this plant in the island's history.

Lord John Rolle, who imported the first cottonseeds in the late 18th century, had more than 300 slaves working on Great Exuma. The slaves, following the custom of the day, adopted their master's surname. When cotton proved to be a financial failure for him and the prospect of emancipation loomed, Lord John Rolle deeded the 2,300 acres of land that were given to him by the British Government to his foremen slaves. This land, in turn, has been passed on to each new generation and can never be sold to outsiders. Today almost half of the residents go by the name Rolle and one of the largest settlements is appropriately named Rolleville.

One of The Islands of The Bahamas' most prestigious events, the Annual Family Island Regatta, is held every April in picturesque Elizabeth Harbour in George Town. A tribute to tradition, the regatta is a race of Bahamian workboats, handmade sloops with wooden hulls, canvas sails and tall wooden masts.

George Town is also home to the Government Administration Building, a pink and white building modeled after the Government House in Nassau. A few steps north is St. Andrew's Anglican Church, a beautiful 150-year old white building with blue doors and shutters that is an active place of worship today. Naturally, in the heart of the Exuma Cays, is the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, a 176-square mile natural preserve which is home to brilliant coral reefs, exotic marine life and the rare Bahamian iguana - some of which grow to over two feet long.

In spite of recent resort developments, the Exuma islands continue to be one of our favorite charter vacation experiences in the world; definitely in our top 10.