Farewell to the boy next door

Being quite new to cruising has meant that we've welcomed the opportunities to make new friends whenever we can. We made friends for life in Laurie and Damon of s/v Mother Jones in Panama, and ended up buddy-boating with them for a few months and…

In praise of domesticity

New Year has found life on board becoming all about 'boat sweet boat'. It's a natural progression after being on the go for 9 months across the Pacific that we're using cyclone season and our arrival into New Zealand to have a little down time.…

Not wanting to sound Bora boring, but…

At risk of stating the obvious... Bora Bora is LOVELY. It's beautiful, peaceful, and it's the last island we're spending time on before leaving for Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands, and the tiny rock that is Niue. We're having a bit of [...]

The unpredictable child

Sometimes having a baby feels like damage control. You can easily spend a whole day consoling your howling infant from their latest fall, pre-emptively snatching away all the tempting unsuitable objects that they manage to get their sticky hands on…

Water babies

When our families in the UK mentioned to others in conversation that we were expecting our first baby in Mexico, while sailing around the world on our boat, the news was met with shock, awe and interest. Yet, while adapting to our new roles as…

Safe and sound

Yes, we made it! We are safely at anchor in Baie Tahauku, Atuona, Hiva Oa. Our passage across from Punta de Mita, at the northern tip of Banderas Bay in Mexico, took 26 days in total, covering a distance of 2,850 nautical miles. It wasn’t quite the…

Ready to launch

Any day now there will be a big move. And I don’t just mean us finally setting off for the South Pacific. Rocket is officially starting to crawl. She’s yet to be caught in the act of the classic all fours crawling, hence no photograph. But she’s so…

All about Gill

Two new parents crossing an ocean with a baby and a Hydrovane? Well, not quite. Having not actually done any sailing with little Rocket we thought it wise to have a bit of extra help for the first 2,700 miles in the long stretch from Banderas Bay to…

Look mum, no hands!

Change is in the air. We’re on the verge of beginning the next stage of our sailing journey: exploring the South Pacific. It’s also the start of us sailing as a family, which means we need to adapt the boat to make it a bit easier for either of us…

Role play

A few years ago James and I were walking along the cliffs of a Cornish seaside town and I glanced out to sea at a sailboat on the horizon. “We could just buy a boat and sail round the world”. That sentence changed everything. He quite rightly…

Here, there and everywhere

When our little daughter, Rocket, was only four weeks old we had to unexpectedly fly to Mexico City and I found myself in the rather bizarre position of breastfeeding her whilst walking to join James in a queue at the airport. Yes, we have a baby on…

Mexican / Mexican’t

Whilst we happily wax lyrical about all things Mexican, (see previous post) we’re aware that our views are not shared by everyone. When mentioning that his future granddaughter would be born in Mexico, James’s father was met with reactions of horror…

New crew

At 0040 Mexican time (0640 in the UK) on Friday, July 12th 2013 Jess and James had a baby girl, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. She was 3 weeks early but is perfectly healthy and happy. She was 5lbs 2oz (2.35 kilos) and 46 cm long. She calls…

Let’s get up to date – What are we waiting for?

I had a picture in my head of what our life would look like as we prepared to have a baby. In this assumed image I’d be starting maternity leave from a stable job, spending weekends decorating the nursery with my husband, buying adorable little…

Method in the madness

So what vital bit of the story has been missing here? Were any of you questioning our decision to head north for 2,250 miles for over three and a half months in order to get to Banderas Bay in Mexico for hurricane season? Well, if not, then maybe…

The family Edwards

Following the last post, I should have said it was the perfect break until...We got stuck at the border coming back into Panama. I was already anticipating issues as my passport renewal has resulted in me owning two valid British passports…