Cape Horn 1/16/24

Cape Horn, Argentina

Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil

I honestly never thought I’d literally travel to the ends of the earth but here we are at Cape Horn, the southernmost spot on the Chilean Tierra del Fuego archipelago and the northern boundary of the Drake Passage. This rocky headland on Hornos island is one of the windiest places we’ll visit as well so hold on to your hats. I’m hoping to see some incredible scenery in this spot where the waters have hazardous waves and strong currents much of the time.

Cape Horn was first rounded in 1616 by Dutchmen Willem Schouten and Jakob Le Maire who were trying to find an alternative to the monopoly route that the Dutch East India Company had through the Strait of Magellan. They called this spot Kaap Hoorn after the Dutch city of Hoorn, opening up what became the quickest and main trade route from East Asia to Europe. During the California gold rush in the 1840’s many ships plied these waters on trips between the coasts of the United States. Charles Darwin passed through here, nearly getting shipwrecked, during his second voyage on the HMS Beagle on his way to the Galapagos Islands. Custom dictated that only sailors who rounded the horn were allowed to wear a gold hoop earring as sign of their courage as seamen. The creation of the Panama Canal ended most of the dangerous transits of Cape Horn upon its completion in 1914.

The seas here were so treacherous that over 800 ships lie below the waters, it was a sailing mariner’s nightmare. Inside these vessels over 10,000 people lost their lives trying to round the cape, making this area the world’s largest underwater cemetery. There are still those who seek the challenge and thrill of navigating their craft around Cape Horn, considering it “the nautical equivalent of reaching Mount Everest’s summit”.

We may catch a glimpse of the lighthouses that are part of the Chilean naval station here. The larger of the two is accessible and near the home of a family that lives there year-round to service the lighthouse, getting many of their supplies from cruise ships and spending most of the year in isolation. There is also the small Stella Maris Chapel at the naval station. The second smaller lighthouse, only 13 ft (4 m) in height is located on the actual “horn”. Remember all those voyagers lying beneath the waves here? In 1992 the Cape Horn Monument was created to commemorate the thousands who perished, it’s a representation of an albatross in flight which is a maritime symbol of “the souls of the sailors lost at sea attempting to Round the Horn.", crafted by Chilean sculptor José Balcells. As we leave Cape Horn, we’ll navigate the isles of Tierra del Fuego for 147 km (91 mi) to the north and west on our way to Ushuaia where we can again test our land legs for a couple of days. It may feel good to be on terra firma again after five days in the southern seas.

At one point, Captain Neilsen came on the speaker and asked for a moment of silence for all the sailors that have died where we were around the Cape.  He read a short poem about Cape Horn and the men that are buried at sea there.  It was very moving.  The waters can be quite rough, equal to Drakes Passage, but we were so lucky to experience a very calm ride. Captain Neilsen said that he had never seen these waters so calm.  There were even three sailboats sailing around the Cape!

Cape Horn marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage and marks where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. The waters were too rough to see the line that marks the two oceans meeting which was a little disappointing, but it was still cool to know that we passed over it.  The albatross memorial was really cool to see and knowing what it represents made it even more special.  At one point, Captain Neilsen pointed out that our ship was surrounded by albatrosses.  I think our Captain was very moved by this day and our experience at Cape Horn.  It still amazes me that we have gotten to experience this part of the world.