"Abreojos" means Open Your Eyes, and we just wanted to close them. After two nights' rest in lovely Bahia Santa Maria we headed 140 miles north to Punta Abreojos, a bleak projection into the Pacific known for its numerous navigational hazards.

The world is decidedly colder here than it was further south, and with the brisk wind and salt spray in the air we've definitely left the tropics. The passage was straightforward and took us about thirty-three hours, with moderate winds the whole way.

We stopped here briefly on the way down and it was windy and bleak then, too. But on our previous visit we were newcomers; now we feel like veterans. As we approached the anchorage there were three southbound Canadian boats in company, chattering away on the radio hailing channel, warning one another about lobster pots and risky reefs. Only one of them had a sail up despite the fine, easy breeze. The old hand, I got on the radio and asked them to find another channel so I didn't have to hear it. I just wanted to drop the hook and close my eyes.