Cape Horn to Chile

Cabo de Horno

It’s not what it is, but where it is: This pointy rock looming in the fog. It’s the last sight of the remains of the Andes where they disappear into the Drake Passage. The next land to the south, 1000 kms away, is the Antarctic peninsula. Everyone was excited to catch a glimpse of this landmark – as the light faded, the fog allowed us to see something that gives many sailors nightmares even to this day.

It has a fearsome reputation because it’s at the confluence of prevailing winds and currents from the Pacific crashing into those of the Atlantic. A graveyard from the days of wooden ships where the two oceans meet. We’d been told it could be the Drake Dragon or the Drake Lake. We got the lake – a bit of rolling in the night is like sleeping in a cradle!

We were headed for Ushuaia – the southernmost city in Argentina – in Tierra del Fuego. That’s the name of the province and it means Land of Fire. The name dates back to when colonial sailors saw bonfires set by the indigenous people along the shore. Only a few of their descendants are left today – survivors of disease and attempts at extermination – as in so many other sad examples of colonization.

Ushuaia has become a hub of cruise ship activity for expeditions to Antarctica. More than a hundred years ago, it was the jumping off point for Roald Amundsen and his crew. They were the first ones to make it to the geographic south pole. In the last ten years, Antarctica has become a popular destination on the cruise ship routes. Bigger ships like the Sapphire Princess do cruise Antarctica, but don’t stop. Many of the ships we saw tied up at Ushuaia are much smaller than ours. But you’ll note that some spare no expense (see the chopper?) Because of their size, these ships can land their passengers on Antarctica, either with a landing craft or a helicopter.

We were destined for a humbler craft: a catamaran-style launch would take us out of Ushuaia into the Beagle Channel. This is the safe passage to the north of Cape Horn and it was this route that Charles Darwin’s ship The Beagle followed on his quest to study the life of barnacles – a quest that led him to the Galapagos thousands of miles to the north and west.

As we headed out the channel we saw seabirds, whale fins, and a colony of sea lions, sharing a rock with a tribe of black and white Imperial Cormorants. The bull sea lions are huge blobs of brown blubber that roar and grunt and swing their heads around to ward off any intruders on their harem of females. The air is noisy with the cries of the cormorants who perch and fly and flash over the water.

Further on, we floated just off Martillo Island to enjoy the antics of these Magellanic penguins. They may be flightless but they use their ‘wings’ to fly through the water. Chubby and awkward on land they are graceful and agile in the water. I didn’t get great video of that, so you’ll just have to let your imagination work.

We had to keep an eye on the time to make it back on board by 3:30 pm. It was an early departure because we were moving moving west through the Beagle Channel to sail past the glaciers of the Darwin Cordillera. It would be 8 pm by the time we reached them, but the fading light made them all the more dramatic.

The majesty of these ice fields is astounding. This is one of the few places on earth where they’re still growing. It was one of our best days at sea. I wish we could have spent a week in Ushuaia and this environment. Maybe one day we’ll be back.