October 11th was the start of Trick's treck back South. We resupplied in the village of Bahia Los Angeles then sailed round Punta Don Juan and into Ensenada Quemado just South of Bahia Los Angeles. Most of the other boats had already made their start South, so it was a fairly quiet journey.

Quemado is quite a large bay surrounded by wilderness. There were already signs that the little rain that had fallen was bringing everything to life. The lanscape looked greener and tiny plants were beginning to poke out of the sand. Our journey North had begun during the Summer when the effect of the rain had warn off. The arid climate left us feeling that much of Baja was a very inhospitable place and we felt rather sad to see the apparently burned husks of plants lying all around us. Now we were seeing some of these 'burned husks' springing to life. Scarred, perhaps, by the long dry spells, but nevertheless capable of surviving and bringing new plants into the world. It made us think that perhaps our perspective was too self-centered to be realistic. The life here has adapted to its environment. Going into a resting state when conditions are unfavorable for them, but springing to life when the opportunity appears. It made us think of the afternoon siestas to avoid the worst heat of the day. To compensate, people in Mexico work much later than in much of the US. It's just another way of life!

It was a short hike across Punta Pescador (Fisherman's Point) to another beautiful beach, this time not quite so deserted as there were several palapas along the beach

We spent a couple of days in Quemado then headed South once more. Bernabe Rocks are an offshore shoal just a few miles South of Quemado. We planned our route to go well offshore of them but about the time we should have been passing them Trick veered and we felt a jolt. Panicked, we looked around and checked the depth sounder then our position, but saw nothing to indicate and dangers nearby. Trick still steered well and the jolt hadn't seemed hard enough to do any major damage and we continued on to San Fracisquito. We donned snorkelling gear and checked the bottom of the boat. No holes, or even scratches, but our rather expensive Interphase sonar sytem was twisted and slightly pulled away from the hull. Otherwise, there wasn't a mark on it. We figured that we must have hit a whale or large shark close to the surface. Once again, other cruisers helped us out, lending us their hookah system so that we could dive without using our tanks and even jumping in to help out with a temporary repair. We applied lots of silicon then screwed adjustable nylon straps around the transducer to hold it to its mount in the hopes that we'd keep the sea from continuing to seep in. When repairs were complete, we headed off to Bahia Concepcion where we spent a few days in El Burro Cove. This is usually a popular stopping-off point for cruisers because one of the residents - Gheary is a HAM radio operator and weather expert who provides daily weather forecasts to the cruisers in the Sea of Cortez. The local residents also throw quite a party on July 4th to which all cruisers are invited. It gets very hot in Bahia Conception at that time of year but the timing is perfect for cruisers heading away from the hurricanes of Summer, so there is usually quite a crowd of boats.

Our next destination was Punta Pulpito. The Northerly wind on the day we departed Concepcion was perfect for the trip South, but meant we had to beat out of Bahia Concepcion. The seas were quite choppy and Trick was occasionally jolted by a rogue wave. We're not quite sure how it happened, but one of these jolts resulted in a loud bang and flapping sail. Not a good sound for a sailor and not a good feeling when we discovered that the main halyard had parted close to the mainsail. The repair was sure to be messy. The in-mast main halyard had fallen into the mast which meant a trip up the mast to thread a leader line and lead a new halyard. Hardly a delightful project in such bouncy conditions! Luckily we were almost out of Bahia Concepcion and decided to stow the main and continue under power until we could turn off the wind and use our foresail. The trip to Punta Pulpito only took about 4 and a half hours, despite our handicap. The anchorage was calm and a new main halyard was installed with enough time left to go for an evening dinghy ride and snorkel. There is a pinnacle rock just South of the point which comes within a few inches of the surface. It was quite spectacular but we didn't have the camera to take pictures.

We would have loved to stay and explore more of Punta Pulpito, but we were anxious to make our way to San Juanico which we had missed on our way North because of the winds. Most cruisers rave about it. We weighed anchor and sailed down to San Juanico. What a beautiful bay to sail into! There were quite a few other boats there and the cruising guides warn about its susceptibility to weather so we chose our spot carefully and anchored, fully expecting to spend a week or so in this beautiful spot. Wouldn't you know, the very next day our weather forecasters warned us of another hurricane likely to head our way. The hurricanes aren't usually as bad so late in the season, but nevertheless aren't to be taken lightly, so we very reluctantly decided to leave San Juanico and head for the safety of Puerto Escondido, about 5 hours sailing away.

When we say 5 hours of sailing, that is under good conditions. If the weather turns nasty, travel could be much more difficult or even impossible, so we try to plan our journey with caution. It took a day for the skies to turn nasty so we spent our first night anchored off Juncalito before scurrying off into the safety of Puerto Escondido. The skies looked rather ominous, although quite pretty as the clouds swirled around the mountains. Most cruisers feel that Puerto Escondido is a special place and this double rainbow during a rain shower seems to prove it. Singlar, a branch of the Mexican government operates a marina there with fuel, pumpout and haulout facilities. There are also rumors of a pool and sauna which weren't apparent when we last visited. They have also put moorings all over Puerto Escondido which make it a challenge to anchor and there is a charge to moor or anchor there now. The Hidden Port Yacht Club is based in Puerto Escondido and provides a very hospitable environment and lots of local knowledge for the cruisers who visit.

Once more, the hurricane thankfully fizzled out before it reached us and the sun quickly replaced the clouds. This was a very different Puerto Escondido to the one we had experienced on the way North. Hurricane John had dumped a lot of water here and the hills and surrounding mountains were lush with vegetation. The rain didn't do the roads so much good and there were several places, even on the way to Loreto, where the road had been completely washed away.

This rock is on the way between Puerto Escondido and Agua Verde. Just one of many hazards encountered South of Puerto Escondido. The passage isn't particularly hazardous provided you are paying attention to what you are doing - and most of the hazards are plenty big enough to see! - Besides, I liked the picture!

This is San Evaristo which seems to be a favorite among many cruisers. There is a small, rather run-down village which cruisers are encouraged to visit and provide donations of clothing and school supplies. The vegetation seemed quite lush with lots of evidence of fast-moving water washing away the sand in places. The density of cactus was quite spectacular.

Finally back to La Paz, or at least very close. We put Trick in the Bercovich boatyard for new bottom paint. There she is in the middle of the left hand photograph. The view from the hills behind the boatyard were spectacular. On the right, you can see the seawall protecting Marina Costa Baha. Beyond it, following the coastline, is the channel down to La Paz which is barely discernible in the distance. We were very happy with the work done in the Bercovich yard. They allowed us to stay on trick and treated us more as guests than customers. They even offered us the loan of their vehicles if we wanted to drive into La Paz.

More examples of the tenacity of the desert plants. These cacti and succulents seem to be growing out of solid rock.

We had come to the end of our first year of cruising. Travelling from Marina del Rey to the Sea of Cortez where we spent a season cruising the most common cruising grounds. It had been a wonderful experience but it didn't feel so much an accomplishment as a lesson that we had a long way to go before we could feel comfortable cruising. Dragging anchor in stormy weather, losing equipment to a storm and hitting a whale, not to mention the many minor hiccups in our cruising venture left us feeling somewhat depressed and unqualified to continue cruising - hence the long pause in updating our website. We felt that we had fallen far short of what we should have been able to do. It's taken a while to shake off that feeling. Once again, thanks to our fellow cruisers.

Even if you aren't already cruising, you'll also find lots of interesting information on the Baja Insider website.