‘Rounding the Horn

When I first started mentioning this trip to friends, there was one comment that seemed universal: “Whoa, I’ve heard the seas are rough around Cape Horn.”

I honestly hadn’t given that part of our itinerary much thought. I knew the area was somewhat infamous for eating ships. And I knew that there are some bragging rights if you’ve “Sailed Around the Horn.” But other than that, I just thought the idea of sailing through the waters where the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean mix and mingle sounded like a Life’s Bucket List item.

And so it was!

We left Ushuaia last night and made the very slow trek southeastward towards the southernmost continental point of land on the planet other than Antarctica. Our arrival in the waters near the noteworthy island point was estimated for 8:00am. We set the alarm for 6:30am. I took Vitamin D(ramamine) at 6:45am.

Despite a call to the front desk, it wasn’t clear what our route would be and what would be visible from our port side balcony. So we took showers, got dressed, abandoned our plans for breakfast delivery, wasted time combing hair, and were up on deck by 7:30am.

It was just a touch windy.

The Chilean naval station was easy to spot with its antennas and small building (Cape Horn is governed by Chile). The Cape Horn light house was much more difficult to locate, looking like a tiny sheep grazing on the shoulder of the Isla de Hornos.
We stumbled from one side of Deck 16 to the other, finding the best views that also were somewhat protected from the gale Force 11 “Violent Storm” wind and the occasional rain drop.

As we sailed into a slightly protected area, I realized we could have stayed in our room as the best views coming into Cape Horn were on the left side. But by that time we were committed to experiencing all that we could of this totally wild part of the planet. Sipping juice and noshing on croissants while gazing out the window at the harsh elements seemed to be missing the point of being here.

The captain did a slow doughnut so we could all see the east side of Cape Horn. We then headed out of the protected-ish bay so we could get face-to-face with The Cape.

The area around Cape Horn is a collection of small islands and smaller rocks that sort of stepping-stone their way out to the Southern Ocean (the name given the waters around Antarctica). Most of the islands are green and yellowish, rocky, and moderately tall with a few that are definitely the last remnants of the Andes mountain range.

The island of Cape Horn itself looks like a really big, green rock. It is quite pretty with deep crevices that reminded me a bit of the Na Pali Coast in Kauai.

Although some wildlife sightings were mentioned as possibilities, the only thing we saw was a lot of albatrosses flying around. I had never seen that type of bird before; they are quite graceful. They look like white potatoes with really long, aerodynamic wings that look like blades on modern-day windmills. They flew all around the area and a number of them seemed to use our ship as a shelter from the gusting winds.

Oh my, the winds.

We were on deck for mere seconds before our jackets were zipped, our hoods were cinched, and we were holding onto the railings for stability. It was very dangerous to walk around; I didn’t see anyone fall but Rob is going to have an impressive bruise on his arm from being blown into a handrail.

The wind naturally caused the waves to be a bit choppy. The waves were reported to be 12-18 feet. The ship listed pretty heavily to the port side. Water was pouring out of the pools. Walking around felt like walking in a carnival fun house. It was a blast!

We motored out to the area where the captain had planned to do another doughnut so that the folks on the left side could see Cape Horn up close and personal. But the winds were too dangerous to do a spin. Had we stayed in our port side room, this would have been the moment we would have needed to leave to see what was going on.

The captain announced that the winds were about 65 knots (75 mph) and were considered hurricane-force; it was not safe to spin. With a calming British accent, the captain assured us the ship was safe, the weather typical, the stabilizers doing their job. But to be safe, instead of turning around in front of the island, we were going to literally sail all the way around the island. Not just ‘rounding the Horn…going all the way AROUND the Horn!! Rob and I high-fived our good luck with hands that weren’t holding on for safety.

I was holding the camera level

The ship corkscrewed its way towards the back of the island. By corkscrewing, I mean when the ship’s bow lifted up in the water, it got blown sideways by the wind and then landed back in the water making a bit of an arc. The movement of the bow of the ship with the waves making it pitch up and down and the wind making it move sideways meant that the nose of the ship spiraled through the turbulent waters. Thanks to our very calm captain, I found the experience very exhilarating and exciting and not the least bit scary. Really!

I simply can not fathom what these waters are like in the winter or tackling them in a 17th century wooden ship. Even with juice and croissants. Those early explorers were a special breed of human.

We are now in the Atlantic Ocean heading northeastward towards the Falkland Islands, our next port. The word for tomorrow is PENGUINS!!!!!