Christmas away from home isn’t as bad as you might think. Instead of following the usual rhythm of events, obligations, and routines, we get to decide just how much Christmas spirit to embrace.

And yes, we want to embrace it. The USA sets the festive mood, and here in the Bahamas, we go all in: Christmas music and a beach bonfire, baking cookies for the little ones, mulled wine for the grown-ups, writing wish lists and singing carols for everyone. “Schneeflöckchen, Weißröckchen” is clearly the children’s favorite song to sing on the dinghy ride to the beach. We also craft Christmas decorations and a matching tree. The Christmas blessing must duly have descended upon us because, on Christmas Eve, the captain catches a spiny lobster, making our Christmas dinner properly festive. The sunset gifts us with a picture-perfect green flash (or, more beautifully, an emerald drop). The verdict: Christmas can be a thoroughly good thing, even outside the family living room.

The Abacos lull us into their easy island rhythm, and so the days between the years drift past, relaxed, on and in the water. In Green Turtle Cay the new year begins just as tranquil as the old one ended. We have a child-friendly countdown on Berlin time and still don’t miss the local party since the fireworks aren’t until 7 p.m. the next day. Beforehand, a cheerful little Junkanoo parade winds through town. As so often in the Bahamas, James Bond comes to mind. Even though the parade in Green Turtle Cay is much smaller than the one in Thunderball.

Just like last time in the Bahamas, we’re grateful for Nikola’s lifting keel. It allows us to sail across sandy shallows and gives us the luxury of finding shelter in small mangrove harbors like Green Turtle Cay when the wind blows and other boats are left rocking in the swell outside. And it often blows in the Abacos. We see firsthand what a hurricane can do in Treasure Cay, where Dorian raged in 2019. Images on Google Maps show what it once looked like.

When the picture-perfect beaches of the Bahamas start to feel too dull, the underwater world beckons and brings some variety. So, snorkeling is part of the daily routine. There’s always something interesting to see. For the first time on the trip, we swim with dolphins that cross our path on the way to the snorkeling spot. Since we already have our wetsuits on, we’re in the water in no time and at least catch a brief glimpse of the animals.

The Abacos are beautiful and yet pleasingly quiet. Whether that’s because the season has only just begun, or because of the drastically increased fees due when you clear in by boat, we don’t know. Either way, we certainly don’t have to jostle for space at the anchorages.

Back then, as we learn, many Loyalists settled in the Abacos — people who stayed true to the British Crown during the American War of Independence. They were banished here, some were granted land as compensation. Islands like Man-O-War Cay we’ve seen nowhere else in the Bahamas. The properties are generous and immaculate, and there’s lush greenery everywhere. In any case, an ideal spot for the youngest sailor’s birthday — who, despite a good blow, invites to celebrate under the gazebo on the beach.

Otherwise, blue dominates. Blue the sky. Blue as we fly over the sandy bottom in two meters of water. Blue the view from the lighthouse in Hopetown. Blue all around us as we eat a midday snack at the floating bar off Tahiti Beach. Where else would you sit to eat on your SUP if not in the Bahamas?

The fact that the Abacos are so pleasant turns out to be an advantage. Our watermaker has become a project. Its pump head is broken. We only notice when the water starts to taste off — and, to our shame, we don’t have a suitable spare on board either. So we have to wait until at least makeshift parts are shipped from Europe via Florida to Marsh Harbour. In the meantime, we take on water in the harbor, catch rainwater, and do laps around the Abacos. This changes our short-term plans, and we have to skip the stop in the Exumas that we had been looking forward to. Instead, we head straight for Panama, since planning for the canal transit has begun and the date is set.