And around Cape Horn we go..

Cape Horn is part of a group of small rock islands of the end of Argentina. Just so you have some idea( if you are clueless like me) I found a map.

So we sailed through the Magellan Stairs, down the Beagle Passage to Ushuaia and then towards the Cape. The whole area is known for gusty strong winds up to 120 knots. These posed a challenge to clipper ships but apart from not being allowed out on the decks, no problem to modern shipping. Cape Horn as you can see is right down the bottom. No we are not visiting the actual island…..it’s basically a rock. One part is accessible to visit the monument and lighthouse.

You can visit this island if you are on an expedition ship. We are not. This is what the monument looks like.

The monument is to commemorate all the ships and sailors that didn’t make it around the Horn. It has this poem on it.

I am the albatross that waits for you at end of the earth. I am the forgotten soul of the dead sailors who crossed Cape Horn from all the seas of world. But they did not die in the furious waves. Today they fly in my wings to eternity in the last trough of the Antarctic wind.

If you are part of the Chilean Navy, you can volunteer to spend a year with your family in the lighthouse. Crazy! It’s super windy, cold all the time and you get provisions once a month depending on the weather. Visitors? Sure a few crazy people come on Expedition ships but only in summer

We were lucky. The clouds cleared. The rain stopped , all so you could see the Cape and say you have survived. We head now for equally windy Falkland Islands. Hopefully we will actually be able to visit Port Stanley so we can see how English it is. Cross your fingers for good weather and the winds to drop enough for tenders.