So What Are We Doing Now?

I'll be honest with you. When we left Panama for Mexico, we weren't sure how much longer we would be sailing the open seas. Maybe our bank account could hold out for another few months or even a smidge longer if Vlad found some boat work, but eventually we would have to high tail it back to the United States, retreating to the land of steady employment.

Now with the whole baby thing, our plans have changed. We would like to keep sailing con bebe for a while longer, giving us the rare opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with our kiddo. Not to mention, that without insurance having a baby in the U.S. could spell financial disaster in the form of never ending medical bills. Not exactly how I pictured my time as a beginning parent. Plus, this way we get our very own anchor baby!

So, we have decided to have the baby in Mexico. But how are we going to make money? At first, we figured that Vlad could find plenty of boat work in Banderas Bay. Alas, though, tis not the season. The great influx of cruising boats happens from November through April, when all the boats getting ready to jump across the Pacific are frantically trying to get everything fixed. And when did we arrive, pray tell? May.

This time of year (aka hurricane season) isn't exactly hopping. Of the four boats in the anchorage outside of La Cruz, maybe one is inhabited. The marina isn't slamming either, to tell the truth. In fact, everything about this part of Mexico seems pretty sleepy at the moment, nice for wandering around but not so great for money making.

With this in mind, we have decided to go home for three months to top up the cruising kitty. Vlad already has a couple of jobs lined up, and who knows? Maybe someone in Santa Fe, New Mexico, would just love to hire a pregnant woman. Stranger things have happened, I guess. Though we are loathe to leave Bettie for that length of time, I, for one, am excited about escaping July, August and September, Puerto Vallarta's most sweltering months where temperatures edge into the triple digits and the humidity causes the air to become almost chewable. Sounds like an opportune time to head home.