Mexico?
It’s a bit of a curve ball from the sticky bottoms of Boot Key Harbor, but spontaneity goes with the sport. The title gives away our landing spot, but I ask you to sit tight while I dissect the juicy innards of our adventure.
My husband Adam and I met fellow cruisers Nate and Maryam during happy hour at the Boot Key Harbour tiki. My toddler, Emilia, was happy as the sun while running around with her little boat pals. She had all the bean bags for cornhole hoarded up in her arms. Nate and Maryam, smiling, approached her at toddler-height and managed to peel the bean bags away from her kung fu grip. I was struck by their positive directness as they explained to Emilia that, yes, they needed all of the bean bags to play corn hole. For once, I didn’t have to intervene. Emilia didn’t leave their side for the entirety of the game.
After speaking with them, we learned that Nate and Maryam have basically the same boat as ours, a Leopard 40, two feet longer than our 38.
They only go offshore in their boat, and their cruising plans are exotic and enticing. Maryam explained, “I want to be somewhere where people look at me funny, and I look at them funny.”
So, not the Bahamas. More like the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, somewhere I probably can’t pronounce. Far away places I could only dream of sailing to. I explained to Maryam that, no, we haven’t really been anywhere in our boat. Our grand sailing adventures after the procurement of our catamaran, Kikio, have stayed within the confines of the ICW from Oriental, North Carolina, to Boot Key Harbor in the Florida Keys. In addition to our toddler Emilia, we are cruising with our one year old, Pepper. “We just don’t have the experience we need, to get the experience we need, to take the kids anywhere offshore safely.” (The redundancy is intentional).
To which Maryam replies:
“Well, why don’t you crew with us to Isla Mujeres on Tuesday?”
Long. Dramatic. Pause.
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