Rounding the Cape - Third quarter

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As we sail north away from Antartica I will make a mention of the many research stations located here. The first permanent bases were established by the British during WWII. The Germans dropped swastika markers from planes making a symbolic claim on the Antarctic and that, coupled with Argentina's apparent sympathy towards the Nazis, prompted the English to set up a number of military bases. Today these bases, along with many others have been converted into research stations. In 1959, fifty five countries signed a treaty protecting the region and allowing research stations to be constructed. These hundreds of stations fall into 3 categories - permanent, seasonal and discontinued. One of the largest is the Amundsen-Scott base located directly on the South Pole by the US. Most of the bases are located on the coast. In summer, about 4800 people reside in these bases - in winter that total drops to 1200. As we head north towards the Cape, I must mention the severity of this passage. Over 800 ships have sunk attempting to round the Cape Horn and it is the cemetery to over 10,000 sailors. There are actually 3 routes that can be taken - Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese sailor, was the first to successfully make it from the Atlantic to the Pacific in 1519. He took what is today called the Magellan Strait which actually cuts through the Tierra de Fuego region at about 52S. which is about level with the Falklands. Francis Drake took this path as well in 1578 during his circumnavigation of the world. However, it is sailing totally under the tip of South America that is known as Drake's passage. Because of the extra manoeuvrability this route affords, it is the one most used today. Charles Darwin, in 1832-4, took a route north of Drake's passage yet south of the Magellan strait. It is known today as the Beagle canal - named after Darwin's ship which took him up to the Galapagos islands. So what makes this Cape so dangerous??? (I write this as I listen to Gordon Lightfoot's 'Ghosts of Cape Horn'). There are two main factors - one is the power of the westerly winds known as the 'furious fifties' - named after the latitudes where these winds occur. The second and probably the most significant factor is the ocean depth. Between Antarctica and the cape, the water reaches a depth of over 13,000 feet. But within only a few kilometres, the ocean floor rises sharply and the water depth shrinks to only 300 feet as one approaches the Cape Horn. The resulting swells from this change in water depth are not only extremely powerful but also unpredictable. On the 15th, we navigated through a cluster of islands into the Beagle canal and pulled into port in Ushuaia. This is the southern tip of Argentina - located close to the border of Chile. We came ashore and jumped on a bus tour taking us through Ushuaia and into the Tierra del Fuego National Park. The weather was wet but a livable 10C - very much like home. We made half a dozen stops in the park, walking on the trails and admiring the wildlife. They refer to the area as 'The End of the World'. The park runs right into the Andes mountains with Chile on the other side. Our guide told us that Argentina owns the mountains and they let Chile have the snow. (lol). Don and I had a Beagle beer - the brewery here is named after Darwin's boat. This is also the beginning, or end, of the Pan American highway #3 that runs 17,848 km. up to Alaska. One note of interest is the number of government signs and monuments stating proudly that the Falklands or Malvinas islands belong to Argentina. We saw none of this in Buenos Aires, but down in the Tierra del Fuego region, this is a very hot political issue. The tour dropped us off around noon, and Monica and I stumbled into a restaurant specializing in lamb. The Parrilla la Estancia grabbed our attention as they cooked whole lamb carcasses over coals right inside their window. Monica and I ordered a lamb plate for two and it was fantastic. A couple from Minnesota who we have befriended were seated beside us and they ordered a mixed meat platter for two. Most of it was great, however it also included things like sweet bread (the pancreas mixed with other organs) and blood sausage (the blood of the sheep or pig shoved into its intestine and thickened). I had a mouthful of the sweet bread (pretty gamey) but I declined the blood sausage. The next day we worked our way up into the Magellan strait and anchored just outside of Punta Arenas, Chile. We had to load onto shuttle boats to get ashore and the weather was very, very wet. We had nothing planned and simply explored the city. A point of interest was the large statue of Magellan located in the city centre. Magellan was atop, however on each side was a giant Patagonian. Magellan claims that the Patagonian natives were giants - over ten feet tall. He first saw their giant footprints in the beach sand and explored in land to find them. He claims he found them and convinced two to come aboard his ship. He planned to take them back to Spain or Portugal but they died on board. His story was accepted as fact until Drake landed 50 years later and stated that the Patagonians were tall and statuesque but far from being giants. Anyway, the statue of Magellan has one of the Patagonians with a large foot protruding out. While the statue is black in colour, the big toe of the foot is a polished gold colour. The legend states that if one kisses the toe, they will navigate the Cape safely and return to Punta Arenas one day. We declined the offer. With the rain pouring, we found a pub called the Colonial. As we usually do, Monica and I found a local's hangout free from tourists. No one spoke any English but our server had little trouble understanding our 'cervesa' order. She told me that an IPA beer is called an 'eeepa'. They also served the beer in German sized glass steins. We shuttled back aboard the boat and left early in the evening, navigating out of the strait and preparing to turn north towards Santiago. The promise is for warmer, drier weather so we will be able to get back into our summer clothes and sit outside.

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Comments

[Heather y Norm]

rounding the cape - third quarter
Quite the adventure! I love lamb but would prefer it as you guys did. Am suspicious of 'mixed' meat platters. History of the place is fascinating. After I read your blog, I thought: why would anyone choose to live at the end of the world? But maybe their choices are limited.