Cape Horn

Today, no one on board had the right to use common retort “it is not the end of the world” because on February 28, 2013, the Carnival Splendor reached this very location – Cape Horn, the southern most point of South America (approximately 55 degrees South Latitude).

I think I have a better understanding of how it was for sailers of times past. It was rocky and exciting as we went in a big circle around the highly anticipated “Cape Horn”. One lady I spoke to said she had been waiting since she was a school girl to come to Cape Horn and this was a lifelong wish that has been met.

We arrived about 8:45 am (from the east) in cloudy skys and by the time we had rounded the north side of the island (heading west), the fog had moved in and a light rain started (typical weather for the 'Horn'). We then headed east (a U-turn back on the track we came early in the morning).

The wind tossed us around a little and my resident fisher told me it was a bit like being in a washing machine with 20 foot wave rollers, and lots of white water waves, which the ship handled easily. Others say they became 30 foot rollers. I noticed that at times the waves seemed to be coming towards the ship, and away in other times.

Some people (from warm climates) thought that standing out on one of the decks was not only cold, but freezing, and bone chilling. Jim and I bundled up in our warmest layers of clothes. Up on the 11^th deck, we saw one strong gust catch the ship and the water in the pool and hot tub came over the sides.

 

I later spoke to the Ship's Navagation Officer, who said the one strong gust was about 45 knots, and since we left the Cape Horn area, the winds had picked up to 90 knots.

 

Mickey,our lecturer/naturalist on board --and Captain Pagano--were on the bridge making announcements about exactly what we were observing (or might observe through the fog). Mickey spoke in English and the Captain in Spanish. We had hoped the fog would clear as we rounded the south side to be able to see the Chilean flag flying high, the lighthouse manned by a Chilean family, and the albatross memorial commemorating those that have died at this southernmost tip of South America.

 

Nonetheless, the white capped waves, soaring birds, jagged rocks in the water, fog and rain truly made this a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Today was a great day.