01/09/2025 ICW Day 9p2 : Los Mapaches

We spent the morning exploring the park (part 1) and then set sail on another upwind leg. To make it more enjoyable, we plan shorter days when we know it will be difficult. We have been taking more time to stop and smell the roses - the wind forecast takes care of our scheduling for us.

We slept in the harbor and the boat didn’t drift, which was good… but I prefer being in a more natural setting. We did meet a woman named Christin who we geeked out with about boat stuff. I’ve learned a lot recently, but when you talk to people who have been living this life for a long time, you learn quite a bit more - quickly. For example, she informed us about an app called “freebie” - it is basically a free Uber. It is paid for by the local cities and advertising. People use it so they don’t have to walk to the store like Janet did yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday, I went back to all the stores that Janet had visited when she lost her sunglssses. I had no luck finding them.

By the way, people told me they spoke more Spanish in Miami than in Mexico. I thought that was a joke, but it is actually truth. I’ve spoken with several cashiers since the start of this trip, always starting out in English… but they often don’t understand me or speak English themselves… so we go to Spanish instead. In California, we have a lot of Spanish, but people are bilingual, meaning there is really no point to speak Spanish; often their English is perfect.

I ended up buying Janet a $10 pair of sunglasses to replace her prescription reader sunglasses that were “muy caras.” And left my phone number with a few cashiers just in case they turned up.

When we got to Virginia Key, we found a great beach for camping and paddle boarding. I told Janet it was perfect! But then we discovered that this spot is inhabited by ferocious raccoons - who have no fear. I’ve been trying to scare them away for quite a while now. There always has to be some strife in life. 😤