We started feelings some cravings for heat and tropical locales so it was time to say good bye to the sea and start heading south. We had some ripping good the sails on route- with winds hitting almost 30 knots and our boat speed getting into the 8s and 9s.

Powered up

We enjoyed a great show from a very busy humpback whale, playing in the bosons chair while sailing with spinnaker, and visiting some of the places we had already seen on the way up. We stopped by Aqua Verde and Fynn made a new friend with her offer buy a juice. We had great weather at Isla San Francisco and loved the ridge hike. We did have as many sea lions play in the water as last time, but Fynn felt like jumping in and swimming on dad’s back which was very cool.

Look I found a goat skull!

Making friends

We stopped at Puerto Ballandra where we went for a safari ride through the mangroves. It was amazing to see the fish hanging out down there! Some were quite big and other just babies.

Mangrove dinghy tour

Inside the mangroves

Puerto Ballandra – all aboard!

Mexi babe

Then we were back in the world of La Paz – familiar yet foreign.

And this time we took pictures – AND FYNN SWAM TOO!

We had just dropped the anchor when from the corner of my eye I see a hump back off in the distance, putting on a show. We piled into Otto and zoomed over to watch. He entertained us until sunset when we had to head home. Kolby could still here him splashing around after the sun went down.

Extended travelling while pregnant probably isn’t for everyone. However it also isn’t so hard.

We decided to go on our Pacific tour about one month before we found out I was pregnant with baby number two. Surprise! A baby wasn’t going to stop our plans so we had to work around this little bean.

The first thing that had to be re assessed was the 6 day leg to San Francisco. I would be in my first trimester and I was already feeling pretty nauseas and tired, so we rounded up some friends for crew and Kolby set sail. Fynn, Kyber and I flew to San Fran the following week to meet up. I had a visit with my midwifes right before I left and we discussed my pregnancy for the next 2 months. As it was still early days there was little that would be done other than wait for my next appointment.

My next appointment was at 20 weeks for my detailed ultrasound on December 8. I decided to fly home with Fynn for this as it was close to Christmas, and it would be nice to see family. I also wanted to see my midwifes again for some consistency. Additionally, given that I don’t pay out of pocket in Canada for my pregnancy care, there were no additional costs. An ultrasound in a private hospital in Mexico would cost a good portion of my flight home, something worth considering. Of course this is still oodles cheaper than our American counterparts. My ultrasound was normal and everything looked happy for my second pregnancy. My first had also been quite easy, so I am fortunate that way. My next appointment will be about 3 weeks before my due date, leaving about a 3 month gate without medical care.

This never really bothered me. Personally I don’t see pregnancy as a medical condition, more as a part of life. Of course many things can go wrong, and medical intervention can save the lives of both babe and mom, and I am certainly not against that. Given that my pregnancy is considered low risk, I was only ever mildly concerned about being in remote locations and quite far from neonatal care.

Like mama

My biggest concern travelling in Mexico for an extended period of time is getting sick – like e coli or some other nasty stomach bug. We are super careful with or fresh produce, everything is washed before it is stored. I watched first hand a lady at the market weight raw chicken on a scale then proceed to put veggies on the same scale. It happens, so we wash everything. I have been eating in hole in the wall restaurants and taco stands though, so I can’t say I am being 100 percent cautious. I do want to experience the trip, not just watch from the sidelines. So far none of us have gotten sick, so I guess we are doing ok.

Just hanging out

Being pregnant itself has some challenges on board as well, but I am sure you can guess what that is – as I enter my third trimester my belly is starting to get in the way, making it more difficult to manoeuvre on a moving sailboat. I am also more hesitant in physically demanding situations as I do not feel as strong or competent.

Sailing

We considered having the baby in Mexico- however several reasons pointed us to having it back home 1. The due date was right around the date to sail to Hawaii, and I wasn’t going to do that trip with a newborn, so we would be flying home to wait for Asunto to arrive in Hawaii anyways. 2. Having a baby costs around $2-3000 in Mexico and was free at home. 3. My research indicated the the Mexican healthcare system was heavily medicalized for birth with a very high rate of C-sections, which is not my style. There were a few women centred midwifery care style options, but these were quite far from anywhere we would be.  So Vancouver it will be, then we will carry on our adventure with a 2 year old and a newborn, which will certainly be more intense then pregnancy and a 2 year old!

Still hiking at 30 weeks

Just North of San Juanico, Punta Pulpito is a real treat. The huge obsidian vein and rock formation bring out the inner geologist.

Fynn starting to love the sailing part! We have been sailing so much with all this wind- that is the up side! We have also practiced sailing on and off the anchor which has been awesome.

Our favourite anchorage in the Loreto Park was off the south side of Coronados. We found this anchorage to be great, even in thirty knots of northerly winds. We anchored here a few times, and hiked up the 926’ volcano twice. The hike take about 4 hours round trip, and the views are stunning. Except for a stretch on loose rock and another steep bit up sand it is a great trail.

The beach landing on the south side had several manta carcasses and shark heads – sad tell tales of the ongoing problems with overfishing and poaching in the area.

Apart from visiting Loreto, we also drove up the the San Javier Mission, which is worth the drive through the mountains to the water oasis alone, and the Steinback canyon, which was so fantastic we did it twice. The first time we walked from Puerto Escondido, which adds a good 1 hour each way and the second time we drove to the base of the canyon. Either way you take the road directly across the street from the turn off to Puerto Escondido. The canyon is spectacular and an easy meander to reach the water pools. Eventually the going gets trickier, there are sections where you need some decent scrambling skills, but the canyon is not to be missed!