Cape Horn and Wulaia Bay on ship Ventus Australis

---

We wake up this morning with our fingers crossed. Today if the weather cooperates we will go to Cape Horn. We are told that 40% of the time the waters are too rough for us to land on Cape Horn. Cape Horn is located on Hornos Island in Chile. It is surrounded by wild seas where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet. There are powerful currents, frequent storms and narrow passage makes it a dangerous route. A memorial on the island commemorates the 800 ships that sank and 10,000 lives of seamen who died trying to sail around Cape Horn. The weather looks good and we are told to get ready to go. I wear long underwear top and bottom, travel pants (designed to keep pickpockets out of your pants), rain paints, hiking thick socks and hiking boots, light jacket, down jacket, gloves, scarf, rain jacket, sunglasses and a knit hat. I carry a small backpack with my phone for pictures and a water bottle. We also wear our life jacket. We wear the life jacket the entire time we are on the island because if we took them off they would blow away. We are given a time to depart so everyone does not line up at once.

A zodiac rubber boat takes us to Cape Horn. There are walk ways that take us to the memorial and lighthouse. We are so lucky because our ship is the only one allowed to land passengers on Cape Horn. That is because we are a Chilean ship, built in Chile. It is windy but not too cold, well how could I be cold with all the clothes I have on. We hike and take in the views. The lighthouse is manned by a man who lives on the island with his wife and two daughters. The daughters have a swing set and they have art for sale. It feels amazing to be in a place so many brave souls sailed around.

Back on the ship we have lunch. After lunch we take a tour of the bridge. Very interesting to watch the captain and crew work. The ship showed a documentary film called Shackleton’d Antarctic Adventure. It is an incredible story about an explorer who along with his crew was stranded for two years in Antarctica.

In the afternoon we suit up again for a hike at Wulaia Bay. This was once the site of a large native settlement. The last full blooded native died a few years ago. She had children but they are not full blooded natives. For this hike we choose the distance we want to hike. We choose the middle distance because it has the best views. Francesco our guide gives us lots of information about the local flora and birds. Charles Darwin was the naturalist on a ship called the HMS Beagle when they stopped at Wulaia Bay. The captain of the Beagle was Captain Fitzroy. In Buenos Aires they named a street after Captain Fitzroy. We brought our hiking poles on this hike. The hiking groups were also matched up with guides who speak their language. Hot chocolate with whiskey (if you want whiskey) was waiting for us when we returned to the ship. Yum so good.

Dinner on the ship was good. Sad news our friends Jerry and Lisa who are OAT alumni had a medical emergency and had to leave the ship. They took a zodiac back to Ushuaia, a flight back to Buenos Aires followed by a flight back to San Francisco. This all took several days. Just a reminder that as sen

---