Rising with the sun we noticed a slight breeze in the air coming from the North. Jason had not yet been talked to about rescues and we had a crossing ahead. I judged the weather and decided it would not be a problem. We loaded our boats and launched toward the faint lighthouse in the distance. Smooth tranquil water surrounded us for the first half-hour, as the breeze blew softly. A little over half way through the crossing the wind picked up considerably. Wind swells started to generate and Jason was feeling good while we would occasionally surf on small waves. We rounded the point and continued down the coast, as the waves grew bigger. At one point a breaking swell hit us from the side and caused both of us to throw a hard high brace. When the wave went around me I looked back to see Jason in a solid brace with white water all around him. As his wave reduced he shouted out a loud "— yeah!" He was stoked, with his paddle in the air. That was the most solid beginner brace I had ever seen. Now I was even more inclined to push his abilities and take him out in the big water. The wind suddenly didn’t seem to be such a big issue. We made camp that night on a beach at the north end of Bahia de los Muertos…Bay of the Dead.

We ate a great meal and were ready for the push to Jason’s house in Buena Vista that his family has owned since the last big Eclipse. It was about half way to Cabo and we would be way ahead of schedule. The next morning brought high winds. As we paddled out of our protected bay the waves were a good size. We had about fifteen miles to Buena Vista and Jason was feeling solid in the conditions. Our heading was straight at his house. Buena Vista became more visible as the time went by, and soon wind surfers were crossing back and forth in front and behind us three or four in a row. Suddenly it was like city traffic. I was sure we would be hit more than once. We approached the shore, which would be Jason’s first surf landing. I shouted instructions and then demonstrated. He moved in behind the breaking waves and was caught by one really good size. He began to surf the loaded 20-foot fiberglass boat to the beach. He maneuvered perfectly and landed softly on the waiting sand. He was the man that day. We greeted his family and hung out for extra day, because we were so far ahead of schedule.