Day Four - The Horn
Last night we passed through a part of The Beagle Channel nicknamed Glacier Alley and witnessed the stunning beauty of the ice flows that extend towards the Pacific. By dawn, there was excitement on board. We left The Beagle Channel, to make our way to Cape Horn. The day before our arrival at Cape Horn, our sistership, the Mare Australis, was unable to land, the weather was the cause of their disappointment. We were the lucky ones and made landfall in the early hours of the morning.
Cape Horn is probably the most thought provoking place for any sailor. All sorts of emotions come to the surface, when you stand on this rocky island at the end of the civilised world. Historic explorers have come here in search of adventure and glory, Drake and Shackleton to name but two, have made historic voyages in the stretch of water between Cape Horn and Antarctica.
For sailors making Cape Horn from the Southern Ocean, including competitors in the Volvo Ocean Race and Vendee Globe. The Horn is a wonderful sight and a great relief. For them it means that they have survived the Southern Ocean. For the company of the good ship Via Australis, it was the end of a mind-boggling journey. through a land of devastating beauty.
Standing on the rocky point, you are compelled to look out to sea, to wonder about the profound and moving events that have taken place there. But I also took a moment to turn around and look north. Before me was the whole world, I have been fortunate enough to see much of it, but I still hungry for more.
This has been a wonderful trip and a huge thank you should go to the crew of Via Australis, they have been fantastic and are deeply passionate about their country. Canito - the sea lion, pictured below, proudly proclaimed that Cape Horn has always been part of Chile.
