May 9-11, 2026

We Said Goodbye to the Bahamas on Mother’s Day — Nobad Weather Fam Returns to the States

A night crossing under the stars, a last-minute conch salad, calm seas as a Mother’s Day gift, and the Gulf Stream pushing us home. This is how our Bahamas season ended.

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Back in Bimini: East Side vs. West Side

After a smooth night crossing across the Bahama Banks from Great Harbour Cay — clear skies, starry night, easy sail — we pulled into Bimini early Saturday morning and anchored on the east side of the island.

If you’ve been following along since the beginning, you’ll remember we spent our first days in the Bahamas on the west side of Bimini. The east side is a completely different vibe — different water color, different feel, different energy. We napped, ate breakfast, and by late morning decided we already knew the answer: west side is better.

So we pulled anchor and moved.

It was absolutely worth it.

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Radio Beach, Ice Cream, and the Conch Salad I’d Been Chasing Since Day One

We were sticky and hot after the overnight crossing, so the first order of business was jumping in the water. After that, we made our way to Radio Beach for drinks and a proper beach day — the kind of slow, sun-soaked afternoon that this whole lifestyle is supposed to be about. We even walked into town for ice cream, which at that point felt like a victory lap.

But the real mission? Conch salad.

I had been wanting to try it since we first arrived in the Bahamas weeks ago and somehow kept missing the window. On the islands, there are these beachside stands where someone goes out early that morning to get fresh conch and makes salads until they sell out. It’s as local and as fleeting as food gets.

It was our last day. I was not leaving without one.

A friend from SV Free Soul came with me and we tracked down the stand. I ordered the tropical version: conch, onions, tomatoes, mango, pineapple, lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice. Basically the most perfect version of ceviche you can imagine, made fresh on a beach in the Bahamas.

It was so good I’m still thinking about it.

Josh is already enforcing a strict limit on how many conch shells I’m allowed to bring home. My parents will tell you this is a reasonable precaution — I have a long history with rocks and shells.

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The Mother’s Day Gulf Stream Crossing We Didn’t Deserve (But Needed)

Sunday morning, 4:30am. Alarm goes off. Boats get prepped. Gulf Stream ahead.

I’ll be honest — I was anxious. Our crossing from Florida to Bimini at the start of the season was rough. “Sporty” was the polite word for it. The Gulf Stream is famously unpredictable and I had no reason to assume the return trip would be any kinder.

The ocean had other plans.

For Mother’s Day, we got calm seas, light winds, and a Gulf Stream current that pushed us north the whole way. It was a gorgeous day on the water — the kind of crossing that makes you forget all the hard ones. Nine hours after we left Bimini, we pulled into an anchorage near Lake Worth in West Palm Beach, surrounded by more buddy boats from our cruising community.

It was the best Mother’s Day gift I didn’t know I needed.

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We’re Back Stateside — and What Comes Next

A few weeks earlier than we originally planned, but here we are — West Palm Beach, buddy boats all around us, grateful and salty.

The Bahamas were everything. The crossings were hard. The storms were real. The water was more beautiful than any photo we’ve ever posted. And we are already sad about leaving it.

But the East Coast is calling. After about a week in West Palm, we’ll start making our way north — a couple of hops up to Fernandina Beach to spend some time exploring the Florida-Georgia line. If you’re on the East Coast, we genuinely want to hear from you.

The adventure doesn’t stop. It just changes scenery.

🌊 Capt. Josh, Admiral Sam, and our salty crew

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