The ‘roaring’ forties, the ‘furious’ fifties and the ‘screaming’ sixties… yes, I think we might be getting there. The winds in Patagonia and Cape Horn are legendary and receive their name according to the latitude at which they occur and their perceived strength. Today we had a chance to fully experience the forces of nature that make this region famous. From the comfort of the National Geographic Explorer, we had a chance to observe the lighthouse where a Chilean family lives, regularly for a year, managing the site and receiving visitors to this, the southernmost outpost of Chile. Far back, we could also see the albatross monument, nested by the actual horn (cape) and built of metal sheets recovered from vessels that travelled these waters, when going the ‘wrong’ way around the horn was something to be proud of. In attempting to do just that, hundreds went down or simply gave up. There are multiple stories of ships waiting for months for the winds to calm so they could cross to the Pacific Ocean side, finally giving up and going the other way around the world to be able to reach their destinations.
Meanwhile, outraging waves and winds were easily ridded by large black-browed albatross and giant petrels but also by numerous other smaller seabirds, seemingly as easily as we breathe. It is incredible that these kinds of waters is what seabirds are made for, this is their home, were they feel more at ease and thrive, coming to land only to nest. An amazing scene altogether, made even more impressive by the shades of grey and the occasional beams of sunlight that made it through.
Sailing north we headed for the protection of the Beagle Channel and anchored in front of Puerto Williams, the southernmost settlement in the planet, were we cleared out of Chile. A short while after, on the other side of the channel, we docked in Ushuaia, where the National Geographic Orion was alongside, being prepared for the Antarctic season. We then cleared into Argentina and sailed away at night, everyone resting soundly in preparation for the last part of our journey in the Argentinean Staten Island east of Tierra del Fuego.
