The hurricane of the highest category 5 hit the islands hard, especially in the north of the archipelago, and to make matters worse, it moved extremely slowly - sometimes at two kilometers per hour. Since most of the islands are only a few meters high, the storm damage is accompanied by extreme flooding by waves, but also torrential precipitation. According to initial reports, the damage is particularly devastating in the north, and five people have been killed so far.
In view of such reports, the charter industry in the area seems to have gotten away with a black eye so far. The Moorings told the YACHT that the fleet and base in the Exumas weathered the storm well. However, there are still no detailed reports from the base on Abaco.
The French fleet operator Dream Yacht also got off lightly in view of the strength of the storm: “We are relieved to be able to confirm that our team was safe in Marsh Habrour on time. Our fleet of 30 boats in the Abacos was moved to Nassau before the storm. The base, the footbridges and also the infrastructure of the island of Abaco have been badly damaged. For the next two months we will therefore have to relocate all charter trips to the port of departure in Nassau."
Loic Bonnet, Founder and CEO of Dream Yacht Charter, stated, “Our thoughts are with the Abaco residents and the reconstruction that lies ahead at these challenging times. Our on-site fleet was not damaged because the team reacted very quickly and did an incredibly good job."