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Cape Horn
'The small cloud above the moon was blown to the side by the wind. I looked. There it is! So near – no more than ten nautical miles away – and directly beneath the moon. And nothing else. Cape Horn, surrounded only by the sky and the moon. I looked and could hardly believe it. So small and yet so large. Just a hill, expressionless, and at the same time an enormous rock, as hard as diamond.'
Bernard Moitesier (The Long Way)
Ever since its discovery on January 26, 1616, the feared and notorious Cape Horn has been shrouded in legend. Its location within one of the most important trading routes in the world meant that it was feared for centuries by sailors, many of whom lost their lives in its surrounding waters. With some justification, sailing around Cape Horn had long been considered extremely dangerous, and all who survived it grew in reputation from simple sailors to seasoned seamen. The legend of Cape Horn survives to this day, but the sailing route is now voluntary, and this place where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet, has advanced to being the dream destination of all sailors.
Located at the southern tip of the Wollaston archipelago at 55° 56´ S and 67°19´ W, the majestic Cape rises out of the water to an altitude of 406m, pointing the way to the cold and wild Drake Passage towards the Antarctic.
A sailing trip around Cape Horn can and should be combined with a voyage to the wonderful world of the Darwin Cordillera glaciers. This wonder of nature should not be missed by anyone visiting this region. It is located on the southern coast of Tierra del Fuego, and its interplay of fjords, canals and mountains forms a glacial landscape with a beauty that is unparalleled anywhere on earth.
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