Rounding the Horn
For the sailors of yesterday the sight of Cape Horn marked a half-way point in a long journey around the globe. For us aboard the National Geographic Endeavour it signals the finish of an expedition to the most remote place on earth. The time taken to cross the Drake Passage was well spent, and gave us the time to muse over our experiences in the Antarctic. Seeing this place reminds us that although our experience in the frozen south is ending, this too marks only a half-way point in a much longer journey.
Cape Horn was first discovered in 1616 by Jakob Le Maire and Willem Schuoten, in the sailing ship Unity. They named this rocky cape for their ship Hoorn, which had accidentally burned farther north along the Patagonian coast. Like its name-sake, Cape Horn has been an unlucky place as many a ship ran afoul of the treacherous seas off the cape during the high days of sailing ships. Standing alone on the headland, a steel sculpture depicting an albatross in flight commemorates those sailors lost in these waters.
As grey-headed albatross and dusky dolphins escorted us on our approach to this remote headland, the beauty of Cape Horn veils its infamous past. Storm clouds that at first appeared far off quickly overtook us as we snapped pictures and marveled at this place. Lucky for us, safe harbor is close by as the protected waters of the Beagle Channel and Ushuaia await. From there we will leave this ship, taking with us a little part of Antarctica to carry in our hearts on our journey home.
For the sailors of yesterday the sight of Cape Horn marked a half-way point in a long journey around the globe. For us aboard the National Geographic Endeavour it signals the finish of an expedition to the most remote place on earth. The time taken to cross the Drake Passage was well spent, and gave us the time to muse over our experiences in the Antarctic. Seeing this place reminds us that although our experience in the frozen south is ending, this too marks only a half-way point in a much longer journey.
Cape Horn was first discovered in 1616 by Jakob Le Maire and Willem Schuoten, in the sailing ship Unity. They named this rocky cape for their ship Hoorn, which had accidentally burned farther north along the Patagonian coast. Like its name-sake, Cape Horn has been an unlucky place as many a ship ran afoul of the treacherous seas off the cape during the high days of sailing ships. Standing alone on the headland, a steel sculpture depicting an albatross in flight commemorates those sailors lost in these waters.
As grey-headed albatross and dusky dolphins escorted us on our approach to this remote headland, the beauty of Cape Horn veils its infamous past. Storm clouds that at first appeared far off quickly overtook us as we snapped pictures and marveled at this place. Lucky for us, safe harbor is close by as the protected waters of the Beagle Channel and Ushuaia await. From there we will leave this ship, taking with us a little part of Antarctica to carry in our hearts on our journey home.
