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Published: February 11th 2016
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Thursday 4th February, 2016. Cruising Past Cape Horn
Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America, remains a maritime legend to this day, as sailing around this remote point and then through the Drake Passage was (and is) one of the most challenging nautical routes on the planet.
The violent stretch of chaotic water between Antarctica and South America, one frequented by icebergs, huge waves and plagued by gale-force winds, is crossed by sailors with great trepidation. Many still prefer to use the sheltered Strait of Magellan which we have already sailed through before reaching the last stop.
The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 subsequently reduced the need for maritime travel around Cape Horn, the notorious site of many ship wreaks, and the final resting place of countless sailors lost in its perilous waters, these dangers have made it notorious as a sailors' graveyard.
Cape Horn (Spanish: Cabo de Hornos), named after the city of Hoorn in the Netherlands, is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego
Ramírez Islands), Cape Horn marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage and marks where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans collide. For decades it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried trade around the world.
We woke up early as the daily paper reckoned that we would be at the Cape about 8.00. We positioned ourselves in the library which has big picture windows - and was on the right side of the ship. It was freezing on deck, raining and blowing a gale. The ship was rocking and rolling and the crew had already put the sick bags out in strategic places.
Cape Horn is located at 55°58'48S 67°17'21W, on Isla Hornos in the Hermite Islands group, at the southern end of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. It marks the north edge of the Drake Passage, the strait between South America and Antarctica. It is located in the Cabo de Hornos National Park.
It is commonly known to English-speaking sailors as "The Horn". The cape lies within what are now Chilean territorial waters, and the Chilean Navy maintains a station on Hoorn Island, consisting of a residence, utility building, chapel,
and lighthouse. A short distance from the main station is a memorial, including a large sculpture made by Chilean sculptor José Balcells featuring the silhouette of an albatross, in remembrance of the sailors who died while attempting to "round the Horn". It was erected in 1992 by the Chilean Section of the Cape Horn Captains Brotherhood. The terrain is entirely treeless, although quite lush owing to frequent precipitation. Cape Horn is the southern limit of the range of the Magellanic penguin.
Two lighthouses are located near or in Cape Horn. The one located in the Chilean Navy Station is the more accessible and visited, and is commonly referred to as the Cape Horn lighthouse. However, the Chilean Navy station, including the lighthouse and the memorial, are not located on Cape Horn (which is difficult to access either by land or sea), but on another land point about one mile east-northeast. On Cape Horn proper is a smaller 4 m (13 ft) fiberglass light tower with a range of about 21 km (13 miles). This is the authentic Cape Horn lighthouse and as such the world's southernmost traditional lighthouse. Many stories are told of hazardous journeys "around the Horn," most
describing fierce storms. Charles Darwin wrote: "One sight of such a coast is enough to make a landsman dream for a week about shipwrecks, peril and death."
Several factors combine to make the passage around Cape Horn one of the most hazardous shipping routes in the world: the fierce sailing conditions prevalent in the Southern Ocean generally; the geography of the passage south of the Horn; and the extreme southern latitude of the Horn, at 56° south. (For comparison, Cape Agulhas at the southern tip of Africa is at 35° south; Stewart Island/Rakiura at the south end of New Zealand is 47° south.)
The prevailing winds in latitudes below 40° south can blow from west to east around the world almost uninterrupted by land, giving rise to the "roaring forties" and the even more wild "furious fifties" and "screaming sixties". These winds are hazardous enough that ships traveling east would tend to stay in the northern part of the forties (i.e. not far below 40° south latitude); however, rounding Cape Horn requires ships to press south to 56° south latitude, well into the zone of fiercest winds. These winds are exacerbated at the Horn by the
funneling effect of the Andes and the Antarctic peninsula, which channel the winds into the relatively narrow Drake Passage.
The strong winds of the Southern Ocean give rise to correspondingly large waves; these waves can attain great height as they roll around the Southern Ocean, free of any interruption from land. At the Horn, however, these waves encounter an area of shallow water to the south of the Horn, which has the effect of making the waves shorter and steeper, greatly increasing the hazard to ships. If the strong eastward current through the Drake Passage encounters an opposing east wind, this can have the effect of further building up the waves. In addition to these "normal" waves, the area west of the Horn is particularly notorious for rogue waves, which can attain heights of up to 30 metres (100 ft).
Ice is a hazard to sailors venturing far below 40° south. Although the ice limit dips south around the horn, icebergs are a significant hazard for vessels in the area. In the South Pacific in February (summer in Southern Hemisphere), icebergs are generally confined to below 50° south; but in August the iceberg hazard can extend north of
40° south. Even in February, the Horn is well below the latitude of the iceberg limit. These hazards have made the Horn notorious as perhaps the most dangerous ship passage in the world; many ships were wrecked, and many sailors died attempting to round the Cape.
There were no icebergs today but it was very cold and windy outside. The Captain had a pilot on board to help guide him through the dodgy seas. He came over the PA system at about 8.15 am to announce that this was as close as we were going to get and that soon we would turn around as we had to take the pilot to a different drop off pilot station as it was too hazardous to ge to the one that was originally planned. We had our binoculars and could clearly see the Chilean flag blowing in the wind and one of the lighthouses (not sure which one). We took some photos, but due to the weather and the distance we were away they didn't come out very well. M took a photo of a photo the Horn in better weather so we could see what it should have looked like. It was quite exciting to venture into the Drake Passage - something we are unlikely to do ever again.
Once we had turned around, M went to craft with Barbara to make a "prick and stitch" card. M helped Stewart with his computer again and then we had lunch in the restaurant.
After dinner we went to the show which was called "The Wild Wild West" and was mainly country music and dancing. Country isn't really D's thing so he left early to get a good seat in the 60's and 70's disco. After the show had finished we danced the night away in the disco. M was cheered for her bopping.
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