May 1 – May 9, 2026
Berry Islands, Part 2: Thunderstorms, a Lightning Strike, a Pizza Party, and the Night We Said Goodbye to the Bahamas —
Lionfish hunting at Chub Cay, a solar arch that changed everything, storms that literally parted around us, a boat struck by lightning, a sunken plane wreck, Josh’s legendary pizza send-off, and one very overdue bowl of conch salad. This is our final chapter in the Berry Islands.
Chub Cay: RECAP
After our split-second low-tide departure from the Bahama Banks, we pulled into a calm, gorgeous Chub Cay anchorage and immediately got to work doing the things that make this life worth living.
The dads went lionfish hunting. (Lionfish are an invasive species in the Bahamas — hunting them is encouraged, and apparently, very satisfying.) Then they turned their attention to the solar arch project that had been in progress since Bimini.
The kids, meanwhile, had their own agenda. We blew up our floating dock and they played on it for hours with our buddy boat crew. Tuesday became one of those effortless, golden, nobody-is-asking-for-anything days that you file away and return to on the hard passages.
We also took the dinghy to a small, remote island nearby to explore — and found thousands of conch shells. Thousands. Conch shells are literally everywhere in the Bahamas and I will not apologize for how excited we are about that.
The Solar Arch Is UP (Almost)
Thursday at Chub Cay, the dads officially finished assembling our solar arch. This has been a project months in the making, and a massive shoutout goes to our buddy boat SV Chasing Serenity — specifically their dad, who came over and, per Sam’s own words, “kicked Josh’s butt into action.” It literally would not be done without him.
The arch still needs wiring to the battery bank, but she is UP. And she is looking fabulous.
Why does this matter so much? Because with the solar panels off our rigging… we could finally sail. Like, actually sail. Sails up, engines off, real sailing.
More on that in a moment.
A Change of Plans (And Why We’re Heading Home Early)
Here’s something we didn’t see coming: due to some unexpected family circumstances back home, we made the decision to cut our Bahamas season short. Instead of staying through May, we are working our way back to the States now.
It’s bittersweet. The Bahamas have been everything we hoped they would be and then some. But family is family, and this lifestyle is flexible by design. That’s one of the reasons we chose it.
So instead of heading south to Nassau or northeast to the Abacos Islands, we pointed north toward Hoffmann’s Cay in the middle of the Berry Islands — where we reunited with two boats from our cruising community: SV Nima and SV Free Soul, who were with us through the Marathon Blow storm back in the Keys and even helped us install our new anchor. They’re also heading back stateside, and we couldn’t have picked better company for the journey home.
We Actually SAILED (A Big Deal on SV Nobad Weather)
Friday morning we set sail from Chub Cay for Hoffman’s Cay — and for the first time with our arch up and nothing blocking the rigging, we got the headsail out.
Full sail. No engines. Wind in the sail. The whole thing.
It was awesome, and short-lived. We were pulling about 3.5 knots before the wind started dying, so we turned the engines on and kept the sail flying for another hour before rolling it up and motoring the rest of the way. Five hours total to Hoffman’s Cay.
But for a little while, we were absolutely, undeniably a sailboat. And it felt incredible.
Hoffman’s Cay: Blue Holes, Sea Turtles, and a Sunken Ship
Hoffmann’s Cay might be the most beautiful anchorage we’ve stayed in yet. Unreal water, deserted island vibes, and an activity list that kept us busy for days.
The lazy river: We dinghied through a short mangrove channel and called it a lazy river. It had turtles. We’re counting it.
The blue hole: A trail on the island leads to a massive hole in the ground filled with water — the kind of geological wonder that doesn’t make sense until you’re standing at the edge of it. We took turns jumping in. It was absolutely cool.
Friendly sea turtles: These turtles come right up to you on the beach. Right up to you. The kids were beside themselves.
The sunken ship snorkel: I wasn’t feeling well that day, so Josh dropped me and Kramer at a beach while he took all three kids to snorkel a sunken ship nearby. He came back glowing. Said the ship was incredible, the fish were wild, and — this is the part that got me — he had one of those rare moments of just noticing where he was: snorkeling a sunken ship in the Bahamas with all three of his kids beside him. A quiet little moment of gratitude in the water. That one’s going in the memory bank forever.
The Night the Storms Went Around Us
We knew a serious storm system was coming. We prepped the boats, watched the radar, and prayed.
What happened next is genuinely hard to explain if you weren’t watching the radar with us.
The thunderstorms came in strong. And then — two nights in a row — they split. Moved toward us, separated to go around us, then regrouped on the other side. Both nights. The sky around us lit up continuously with nonstop distant lightning. We were watching a storm system rearrange itself to avoid us.
We believe in prayer in this family. We are not going to pretend that was a coincidence.
The storms grew more aggressive as they pushed south. We later learned the southern Exumas saw 50-knot sustained winds with 80-knot gusts. Multiple boats struck. Significant damage. Nobody down there was prepared for the strength of what came through.
We did not take our night of unlit skies for granted.
Great Harbour: Engine Drama, a Plane Wreck, and Da Warf
Tuesday we headed north to Great Harbour — our last anchorage in the Berry Islands — but not without incident.
Pre-departure checks flagged a bad bilge (Josh vacuumed it out). Then our port engine wouldn’t start — the same engine that powers our windlass, which means we couldn’t pull the anchor either. All our buddy boats were already in the open ocean waiting for us while we troubleshot. Eventually Josh swapped batteries between engines, got it going, and we later discovered the alternator had a bad wire (also fixed). An hour behind schedule, we pulled out into some rolly seas and — sail out again! — made our way north.
Great Harbour is a different kind of beautiful. Rocky islands, lush foliage, green water instead of Bahama blue. We dinghied into the marina and found Da Warf, a local restaurant that delivered exactly what we needed. I was also introduced to Goombay, a local Bahamian soda pop. It is so good. Please seek it out if you ever find yourself in the Bahamas.
Wednesday brought a plane wreck snorkel that had the kids absolutely obsessed. The fish life in and around that wreck was incredible — the kind of snorkel that makes you stop and float and just stare.
Josh’s Pizza Send-Off for SV Chasing Serenity
Thursday was our last night with SV Chasing Serenity. They chose to stay in the Bahamas and explore the Abaco Islands before heading home — so we needed a proper goodbye. They’ve been incredible buddy boats.
The crew walked to the northeast side of the island to find white sand and blue water, and then Josh made pizza. A lot of pizza. Cooked on SV Chasing Serenity’s outdoor grill with their pizza stone: pepperoni and cheese, chicken pesto, chicken BBQ, dessert pizzas. Everyone was stuffed. Multiple people commented on the crust.
It was the perfect send-off. These people have been with us through crossing delays, windlass failures, solar arch chaos, and two weeks of Bahamian paradise. Saying goodbye to buddy boats never gets easier. But pizza helps.
The Night Crossing Back to Bimini
Friday afternoon, after a grocery run, we pulled anchor for a night crossing back across the Bahama Banks to Bimini. Clear skies, starry night, smooth sail. We anchored on the east side of Bimini early Saturday morning, napped, ate breakfast, then promptly decided the west side was better and moved.
It kinda felt like coming home. Our ole stomping grounds back at Bimini…
Don’t cancel plans, make more.
🌊 Sam + Josh + the NOBAD crew
Watch the full video on YouTube | Weekly faith & family content on Patreon | Daily life on Instagram
Nobad Weather Fam 
Leave a comment