Cape Horn – Known as a dangerous “sailors’ graveyard”
Monday 2 March
This is it!!!! We are rounding Cape Horn this morning – everyone on the boat is eager for the moment and most of us got up early at 7.00am to witness the occasion. I was very pleased, no, make that very relieved, to note that the sea is as smooth as a baby’s bum! Cape Horn is named for the Dutch City, Hoorn, home of the land’s discoverers, Dutch Mariners Jacques Le Maire and Willem Corneliszoon Schouten, in 1616, and is part of the Hermite Islands’ archipelago. It is a remote, stark, treeless place and considered the continent’s southernmost point. As you sail “Around the Horn” the highest point of the Cape soars from Hornos Island, a massive prehistoric-looking massif of Jurassic volcanic rock, with an historic lighthouse near the water’s edge, and definitely a beacon of assurance and safety for countless sailors since 1991.
We were out on the deck for the momentous moment, me all snuggled up in my new, fancy purple Alpaca scarf and hat that I bought in the greengrocers in Punta Arenas, and typical of Viking hospitality, we were handed a warm Baileys to offset the chill! You will be amazed to know that there is actually a permanent residence on Hornos Island, which belongs to the Chilean Navy station and houses the lighthouse keeper, their family, a radio-radar-room, a chapel named Our Lady, Star of the Sea and a small museum. Due to the extreme, dangerous conditions and inaccessibility, there is obviously no public accommodation on the island, which also serves as a national park. Visitors typically visit from their expedition cruise ships during the day. In fact, we saw a RIB and a line of visitors making their way to the top of the lighthouse as we sailed past. Apparently, the current lighthouse keeper, José Luarte, a Chilean Navy Second Sergeant, lives here with his wife Pamela, two children and their cat, and provisions are dropped off to them every two months. The appointment is on a voluntary, rotating 12-month basis. They love it! He said that in his last job he felt he had abandoned his children with all his work commitments, now he loves it because he has abandoned the world and can spend all his time with his family. He manages the lighthouse, monitors the weather and assists with maritime traffic. Personally, I couldn’t imagine anything worse but to be out here for months on end, in one of the most isolated, windswept places on Earth, surrounded by the “largest ship graveyard in the world” with nothing around you, not even a tree, and in this harsh climate too. Yes, you read that correctly, apparently there are over 800 shipwrecks here!
We spent a couple of hours slowly circumnavigating the whole of the island allowing us to get lots of photos and take it all in. We also spotted a pod of whales, well, maybe not a whole pod, that might be pushing it, but I did manage to get a couple of shots of whale blowholes, which indicated an imminent surfacing, just before I saw three whales in the distance. Get your magnifying glass out and see if you can spot them in the photo below! And whilst you’re doing it, feast your eyes on my “Passed the Horn Certificate” whilst you’re at it!
The usual “at sea” trivia quiz today – we are in the same group with two American couples. Unfortunately, I think we peaked with our first win on the first quiz. Never mind, there’s still another week or so to go to try and take back the championship! A leisurely lunch today and much appreciated after the last couple of days of tours and sightseeing (not that I am complaining, we have loved and enjoyed every minute of it). The sailing days are awesome on the ship, so many interesting things to do - lectures, games, the outside and indoor pools and spas, and the gym with other impromptu happenings too; it’s so nice just to be able to pick and choose or just stay in our luxurious cabin and read, or in my case, do my blogs, if we want to.
We’ve now left the South Pacific Ocean and the Drake Passage behind and are in the South Atlantic Ocean heading towards the Falkland Islands which I am very much looking forward to visiting, Geoff too.
5.15pm and it was all going so well….until the Captain came over the intercom with an “important message”…..the predicted weather for our route to the Falklands is now stormy with 50 knot winds and he “can’t guarantee our safety”. Also, if we get stuck in the Falkland Islands, because we have to go in by tender, it means we can either get in there and it’s too rough to use the tenders, or we go in by tender, and can’t get back to the ship and there is not enough accommodation in the Falkland Islands for us all! Therefore, he has made the decision to by-pass the Falklands and head to our next stop one day early, but so as not to disappoint us with taking out the Falklands stopover, he has added in another stop to our route (all to be revealed in later blogs!). I’m disappointed about missing the Falklands as it’s a one-off and with Cape Horn too, they were two of the attractions of this cruise and it’s a place I am never likely to return to. However, I’m not that disappointed that I’m prepared to be on a ship at 50 knots to get there or get stranded there either. Looks like that alpaca scarf, hat and gloves will now be relegated to the bottom of my suitcase along with the merino trackpants now that we are headed back into summer!
Nothing for it, we headed off to the pool for a swim – that was interesting, with the movement of the boat, the water was sloshing backwards and forwards, almost like surfing. Then we got into the spa (no guests in either the pool or the spa) and assuaged our disappointment with a bellini, well why not!
Tuesday 3 March
We’re well on our way, skirting the coast of Argentina and loving the relaxation and the days at sea. Another mediocre result at today’s Quiz and then it was lunch at the buffet, all the beautifully presented food looks so enticing and tastes so delicious. Today we sighted a pod of dolphins breaching near us as we sat in the sunshine by the window with our salads and a pinot grigio to hand. Later this afternoon a workout in the gym – got to negate all the food we are eating. I think I have eaten half my body weight in those addictive oat and raisin cookies! What a lovely holiday we are having!
Wednesday 4 March
Our third relaxing day at sea and we started with a stretching class at 7.30am next to the indoor pool and spa – Geoff and I were at the back and struggling to hear the instructor with the pool and spa water sloshing up and down and it was also hard to keep the poses with the movement of the boat. We’re in the Roaring 40’s and there’s definitely a lot of rocking and rolling today! Breakfast and lunch at the buffet was entertaining, watching all the guests weaving up and down balancing their plates of food and hot drinks, and we also noticed the subtly placed leather containers hanging over each stairway containing sick bags! A gym session, followed by a deep tissue massage and we’re ready for tonight’s action. A pre-dinner gin and tonic, another delicious à la carte dinner, what sounds like to be a fun show in the theatre, a solo guitar/song performance by the very talented King and then it’s up on the dance floor to throw a few shapes before heading off to bed!
A big day tomorrow – we’re getting off the ship!
