Cabo de Hornos redirects here, for the Chilean commune see Cabo de Hornos, Chile. Cabo de Hornos is a Chilean commune located in the south of Tierra del Fuego archipelago in Antártica Province, Magallanes Region.

Cape Horn from the South.

The Hermite Islands (center) and Cape Horn (lower right) as seen from space.

Cape Horn island (Dutch: Kaap Hoorn; Spanish: Cabo de Hornos; named after the city of Hoorn in the Netherlands) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Hoorn ( West Frisian: Hoorn) is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment Tierra del Fuego ( Spanish for " Land of Fire " in English tiˈɛərə dɛl ˈfweɪgoʊ] Spanish ˈtjerað̞elˈfweɰo is an Archipelago An archipelago (ɑrkəˈpɛləgoʊ is a chain or cluster of Islands The word archipelago literally means "chief Sea " from Italian Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the

It is widely considered to be the southern tip of South America. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a Cape Horn is the most southerly of the great capes, and marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage; for many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried trade around the world. In Sailing, the great capes are the three major capes of the Southern Ocean — the Cape of Good Hope (although sometimes Cape Agulhas The Drake Passage or Mar de Hoces -Sea of " Hoces "- is the body of water between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, In Sailing, the clipper route was the traditional route sailed by clipper ships between Europe and the Far East, Australia and Sailing ship is now used to refer to any large Wind -powered Vessel. However, the waters around the cape are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds, large waves, strong currents and icebergs; these dangers have made it notorious as a sailors' graveyard. An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater Ice that has broken off from a snow-formed Glacier or Ice shelf and is floating in open water

The need for ships to round the horn was greatly reduced by the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. The Panama Canal is a man-made Canal in Panama which joins the However, sailing around the Horn is widely regarded as one of the major challenges in yachting, and a few recreational sailors continue to sail this route, sometimes as part of a circumnavigation of the globe, almost all of these choosing routes through the canals to the north of the actual Cape, though many take a detour through the islands and anchor to wait for fair weather to actually visit Horn Island or even sail around it to replicate a rounding of this historic point. Yachting is an activity involving boats It may be racing Sailing boats cruising to distant shores or day-sailing along a coast Several prominent ocean yacht races, notably the Vendée Globe, sail around the world via the Horn, and speed records for round-the-world sailing follow the same route. Yacht racing is the sport of competitive Sailing. There is a broad variety of kinds of races and sailboats used for racing The Vendée Globe is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed non-stop and without assistance

Geography

The southern part of South America, including Cape Horn island, the Drake Passage, and the South Shetland Islands. The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about 120 kilometres north of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Cape Horn island is the southernmost point of land closely associated with South America; it is located at 55°59′00″S, 067°16′00″W, on Isla Hornos in the Hermite Islands group, at the southern end of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. Hornos Island is a Chilean island in the southern tip of South America. The Hermite Islands belong to the Chilean region of Tierra del Fuego, as part of the Commune of Cabo de Hornos in Antártica Chilena Province ^[1][2] It marks the north edge of the Drake Passage, the strait between South America and Antarctica. A strait is a narrow navigable Channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water The dividing line between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans runs along the meridian of Cape Horn, from Tierra del Fuego to the Southern Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Southern Ocean, also known as the Great Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Ocean and the South Polar Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of ^[3] It is located in Cabo de Hornos National Park. Cabo de Hornos National Park is located in the Cape Horn Archipelago, which belongs to the Commune of Cabo de Hornos, in the Antártica Chilena Province

Cape Horn island was originally given the Dutch name "Kaap Hoorn", in honour of the Dutch city of Hoorn; in a typical example of false friends, the Hoorn became known in English as "Cape Horn", and in Spanish as "Cabo de Hornos" (which literally means "Cape of Ovens"). False friends (or faux amis) are pairs of Words in two Languages or Dialects (or letters in two alphabets that look and/or sound similar but differ ^[4] It is commonly known to sailors simply as The Horn. ^[5]

While Cape Horn is widely considered to be the southernmost point of South America, it is not actually the southernmost point of the South American continental landmass (the southernmost point of the continental landmass is Cape Froward on Brunswick Peninsula). This is a list of the extreme points of South America, the points that are farther North, South, East or West than any other location South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a Cape Froward ( is the southernmost point on the Mainland of South America. Brunswick Peninsula (Península de Brunswick is a large peninsula in Magallanes y la Antártica Region, Patagonia, Chile, at. Cape Horn is located on Isla Hornos, the most southerly of the Hermite Islands, which themselves are part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. The Hermite Islands belong to the Chilean region of Tierra del Fuego, as part of the Commune of Cabo de Hornos in Antártica Chilena Province Tierra del Fuego ( Spanish for " Land of Fire " in English tiˈɛərə dɛl ˈfweɪgoʊ] Spanish ˈtjerað̞elˈfweɰo is an Archipelago ^[6] Tierra del Fuego is separated from the South America mainland by the Strait of Magellan. The Straits of Magellan (rarely referred to as the Magellanic Straits) comprise a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland Chile and north of Isla Grande Also of note, the southernmost point of land on the South American continental shelf is on the Diego Ramirez Islands. The Diego Ramírez Islands (Islas Diego Ramírez are a small group of lesser Islands located in the southernmost extreme of Chile about 100 km (60 mi southwest On the other hand, 56 kilometers (35 mi) to the northwest from Cape Horn on Hoste Island lies False Cape Horn, which is so named because as sailors approaching from the west would confuse it with Cape Horn, and since the Wollaston Islands are due east of the false cape, this navigation error has led to several shipwrecks. Hoste is one of the southernmost Islands in Chile, lying south across the Beagle Channel, from Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and west False Cape Horn or Falso Cabo de Hornos is a headland at the south end of Hoste Island, 35 Statute miles (56 km) northwest of ^[7]

The main building of the Chilean lighthouse station.

The cape lies within Chilean territorial waters, and the Chilean Navy maintains a station on Hoorn Island, consisting of a residence, utility building, chapel, and lighthouse;^[8] A short distance from the main station is a memorial, including a large sculpture featuring the silhouette of an albatross, in honour of the sailors who died while attempting to "round the Horn". Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large Seabirds allied to the procellariids, Storm-petrels and Diving-petrels ^[9]

However, the Chilean Navy station, including the lighthouse, and the memorial are not located in the Cape Horn itself, that is rather inaccessible both by land and by sea, but in another land point about a mile farther east-northeast. In the real Cape Horn there is a 4 m (13 ft) fiberglass light tower with a focal plane of 40 m (131 ft) and a range of about 21 km (13 mi)), which is the authentic Cape Horn lighthouse.

The terrain is entirely treeless, although quite lush owing to the frequent precipitation.

The real Cape Horn, seen from the Chilean Navy station location

Climate

The climate in the region is generally cool, owing to the southern latitude. There are no weather stations in the group of islands including Cape Horn; however, a study in 1882–1883 found an annual rainfall of 1,357 millimetres (53. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to 42 in), with an average annual temperature of 5. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 2 °C (41. 4 °F). Winds were reported to average 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph), with squalls of over 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) occurring in all seasons. (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. ^[10]

Contemporary weather records for Ushuaia, 146 kilometres (91 mi) north, show that summer (January–February) average temperatures range from highs of 14 °C (57 °F) to lows of 5 °C (42 °F); in winter (July), average temperatures range from 4 °C (40 °F) to −2 °C (29 °F). Ushuaia (u'swaia is the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego and is sometimes considered to be the southernmost city in the world Cloud cover is generally high, with averages from 5. 2 eighths in May and July to 6. 4 eighths in December and January. ^[11] Precipitation is high throughout the year: the weather station on the nearby Diego Ramirez Islands, 109 kilometres (68 mi) south-west in the Drake Passage, shows the greatest rainfall in March, averaging 137. 4 millimetres (5. 41 in); while October, which has the least rainfall, still averages 93. 7 millimetres (3. 69 in). ^[12] Wind conditions are generally severe, particularly in winter. In summer, the wind at Cape Horn is gale force up to 5% of the time, with generally good visibility; however, in winter, gale force winds occur up to 30% of the time, often with poor visibility. A gale is a very strong Wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong ^[13]

Many stories are told of hazardous journeys "around the Horn," most describing fierce storms. In sea chanteys and other songs, "Cape Horn" is frequently rhymed with "never been born. Sea shanties (singular " shanty " also spelled " chantey " derived from the French word "chanter" 'to sing' were Shipboard Lyrics In South Australia I was born Heave away "

Political

The islands around Cape Horn.

Cape Horn is part of the Commune of Cabo de Hornos, whose capital is Puerto Williams; this in turn is part of Antártica Chilena Province, whose capital is also Puerto Williams. A commune (comuna is the smallest administrative subdivision in Chile and may contain Cities, Towns Villages, Hamlets as well as Rural A commune (comuna is the smallest administrative subdivision in Chile and may contain Cities, Towns Villages, Hamlets as well as Rural Puerto Williams ( Spanish for "Port Williams" is a Chilean port located on Isla Navarino facing the Beagle Channel. Antártica Chilena Province is one of four provinces in its southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. The area is part of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region of Chile. Geography This region contains mountainous peaks and Glaciers in the far north including elements of the Patagonian Ice Sheet. ^[14]

Puerto Toro, a few miles south of Puerto Williams, is the closest town to the cape, and the southernmost town in the world. Puerto Toro, founded 1892 by Governor of Punta Arenas Señoret is a hamlet on the eastern coast of Navarino Island, Chile. The southernmost settlements in the world excluding research bases in Antarctica (there are already permanent settlements there are

Sailing routes

There are a number of potential sailing routes around the tip of South America. The Strait of Magellan, between the mainland and Tierra del Fuego, is a major — although narrow — passage, which was in use for trade well before the Horn was discovered; the Beagle Channel, between Tierra del Fuego and Isla Navarino, offers a potential, though difficult route; and there are various passages around the Wollaston and Hermite Islands to the north of Cape Horn. The Straits of Magellan (rarely referred to as the Magellanic Straits) comprise a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland Chile and north of Isla Grande The Beagle Channel is a strait separating islands of the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago in extreme southern South America. Isla Navarino is a Chilean island located strategically between Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, to the north and Cape Horn, to the south ^[15]

All of these, however, are notorious for treacherous williwaw winds, which can strike a vessel with little or no warning;^[16] given the narrowness of these routes, there is a significant risk of then being driven onto the rocks. In Meteorology, a williwaw is a sudden blast of wind descending from a mountainous coast to the sea The open waters of the Drake Passage, south of Cape Horn, provide by far the widest route, at about 650 kilometres (400 mi) wide; this passage offers ample sea room for maneuvering as winds change, and is the route used by most ships and sailboats, despite the possibility of extreme wave conditions. ^[4]

Shipping hazards

Several factors combine to make the passage around Cape Horn one of the most hazardous shipping routes in the world: the fierce sailing conditions prevalent in the Southern Ocean generally; the geography of the passage south of the Horn; and the extreme southern latitude of the Horn, at 56° south. (For comparison, Cape Agulhas at the southern tip of Africa is at 35° south; Stewart Island at the south end of New Zealand is 47° south. Cape Agulhas ( Portuguese: Cabo das Agulhas, "Cape of Needles" is the geographic southern tip of the African Continent New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island )

The prevailing winds in latitudes below 40° south can blow from west to east around the world almost uninterrupted by land, giving rise to the "roaring forties" and the even more wild "furious fifties" and "screaming sixties". The prevailing winds are the trends in speed and direction of Wind over a particular point on the Earth 's surface The Roaring Forties is a name given especially by sailors to the latitudes between 40°S and 50°S so called because of the boisterous and prevailing westerly winds These winds are hazardous enough in themselves that ships traveling east would tend to stay in the northern part of the forties (i. e. not far below 40° south latitude); however, rounding Cape Horn requires ships to press south to 56° south latitude, well into the zone of fiercest winds. ^[17] These winds are further exacerbated at the Horn by the funneling effect of the Andes and the Antarctic peninsula, which channel the winds into the relatively narrow Drake Passage. The Andes form the world's longest exposed Mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica, and almost the only part of that continent that extends outside the Antarctic Circle

The strong winds of the Southern Ocean give rise to correspondingly large waves; these waves can attain enormous size as they roll around the Southern Ocean, free of any interruption from land. At the Horn, however, these waves encounter an area of shallow water to the south of the Horn, which has the effect of making the waves shorter and steeper, greatly increasing the hazard to ships. If the strong eastward current through the Drake Passage encounters an opposing east wind, this can have the effect of further building up the waves. ^[18] In addition to these "normal" waves, the area west of the Horn is particularly notorious for rogue waves, which can attain heights of up to 30 metres (100 ft). Rogue waves, also known as freak waves, monster waves or extreme waves, are relatively large and spontaneous Ocean surface waves that are a threat The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The foot is an Anatomical structure found in many Animals It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows Locomotion. ^[19]

The prevailing winds and currents create particular problems for vessels attempting to round the Horn against them, i. e. from east to west. Although this affects all vessels to some extent, it was a particularly serious problem for traditional sailing ships, which could make very little headway against the wind at the best of times;^[20] modern sailing boats are significantly more efficient to windward and can more reliably make a westward passage of the Horn, as they do in the Global Challenge race. 65 The Global Challenge (not to be confused with Global Challenge Award) is a round the world Yacht race run by Challenge Business the company started by Sir In recent times, only two small yachts have taken this route, John Kershmere did so on his 32 footer in the early 80s. Lin and Larry Pardey sailed west around the Cape in 2003 on an engineless 29 footer.

Finally, ice is a hazard to sailors venturing far below 40° south. Although the ice limit dips south around the horn, icebergs are a significant hazard for vessels in the area. In the South Pacific in February (summer in Southern Hemisphere), icebergs are generally confined to below 50° south; but in August the iceberg hazard can extend north of 40° south. Even in February, though, the Horn is well below the latitude of the iceberg limit. ^[21] These hazards have made the Horn notorious as perhaps the most dangerous ship passage in the world; many ships were wrecked, and many sailors died, attempting to round the Cape.

History

Discovery

Approaching Cape Horn from the south-west.

In 1525 the vessel San Lesmes commanded by Francisco de Hoces, member of the Loaísa Expedition, was blown south by a gale in front of the Atlantic end of Magellan Strait and reached 56° S where they thought to see Land's End. Francisco de Hoces (? 1526? was a Spanish sailor who in 1525 joined the Loaísa Expedition to the Spice Islands as commander of the vessel San Lesmes García Jofre de Loaísa (c 1490&ndash1526 was a Spanish nobleman designated by King Charles I of Spain to command an expedition known as the Loaísa expedition The Straits of Magellan (rarely referred to as the Magellanic Straits) comprise a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland Chile and north of Isla Grande

In September 1578, Sir Francis Drake, in the course of his circumnavigation of the world, passed through the Strait of Magellan into the Pacific Ocean. Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral, (c 1540 &ndash 27 January 1595 was an English Privateer, navigator, Slaver, and politician Before he could continue his voyage north his ships encountered a storm, and were blown well to the south of Tierra del Fuego. The expanse of open water they encountered led Drake to guess that far from being another continent, as previously believed, Tierra del Fuego was an island with open sea to its south. This discovery went unused for some time, as ships continued to use the known passage through the Strait of Magellan. ^[22]

By the early 1600s, the VOC held a monopoly on all Dutch trade via the Strait of Magellan and the Cape of Good Hope, the only two known routes at the time to the Far East. The Dutch East India Company ( Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC in old-spelling Dutch, literally "United East Indian The Cape of Good Hope ( Afrikaans: Kaap die Goeie Hoop, Kaap de Goede Hoop Cabo da Boa Esperança Persian Language: دماغه امید نیک The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. In an effort to find an alternative route and hence break the monopoly, the Dutch merchant Jacob Le Maire, together with navigator Willem Schouten, set off to investigate Drake's suggestion of a route to the south of Tierra del Fuego. Jacob Le Maire (c 1585 Antwerp - December 22 1616, at sea was a Dutch mariner who circumnavigated the earth in 1615-16 Willem Cornelisz Schouten (1567? Hoorn - 1625 Antongil Bay) was a Dutch navigator Backed by the city leaders of the Dutch town of Hoorn, the expedition set off in two ships, Eendracht and Hoorn, in May, 1615.

Hoorn was accidentally destroyed in Patagonia, but in January, 1616, Eendracht passed through the Le Maire Strait, as it is now known, and sighted a high island to the south. Llao LLaojpg|thumb|250px| Lake Nahuel Huapi, near Bariloche, Argentina The Le Maire Strait ( Estrecho de le Maire) is a sea passage between Isla de los Estados and the eastern extremity of the Argentine portion of Tierra They named the new cape "Kaap Hoorn", in honour of the expedition's sponsors. ^[4] At the time it was discovered, the Horn was believed to be the southernmost point of Tierra del Fuego; the unpredictable violence of weather and sea conditions in the Drake Passage made exploration difficult, and it was only in 1624 that the Horn was discovered to be an island. It is an interesting testament to the difficulty of conditions there that Antarctica, only 650 kilometres (400 mi) away across the Drake Passage, was discovered as recently as 1820, despite the passage having been used as a major shipping route for 200 years. ^[1]

Trade route

The clipper route followed by ships sailing between England and Australia/New Zealand passed around Cape Horn.

From the 1700s to the early 1900s, Cape Horn was a part of the clipper routes which carried much of the world's trade. Clipper ships sailed round the Horn carrying wool, grain, and gold from Australia back to Europe;^[23] much trade was carried around the Horn between Europe and the Far East; and trade and passenger ships travelled between the coasts of the United States via the Horn. A clipper was a very fast Sailing ship of the 19th century that had multiple masts and a Square rig. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[24][25] The Horn exacted a heavy toll from shipping, however, owing to the extremely hazardous combination of conditions there.

Traditionally, a sailor who had rounded the Horn was entitled to wear a gold loop earring — in the left ear, the one which had faced the Horn in a typical eastbound passage — and to dine with one foot on the table; a sailor who had also rounded the Cape of Good Hope could place both feet on the table. ^[26][27] A sailor who had sailed around Cape Horn was also able to brag by showing off his tattoo of a full-rigged ship. ^[28]

The transcontinental railroads in North America, as well as the Panama Canal in Central America, led to the gradual decrease in use of the Horn for trade. This article refers to a railroad built in the United States between Omaha and Sacramento completed in 1869 As steamships replaced sailing ships, Pamir became the last commercial sailing ship to round Cape Horn laden with cargo, en route from Australia to Finland in 1949. A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving a Propeller Pamir was one of the famous Flying P-Liner sailing ships of the German shipping company F

Recreational and sport sailing

Despite the opening of the Suez and Panama Canals, the Horn remains part of the fastest sailing route around the world, and so the growth in recreational long-distance sailing has brought about a revival of sailing via the Horn. The Suez Canal is a Canal in Egypt. Opened in 1869 it allows Water transportation between Europe and Asia without circumnavigation Owing to the remoteness of the location and the hazards there, a rounding of Cape Horn is widely considered to be the yachting equivalent of climbing Mount Everest, and so many sailors seek it out for its own sake. Mount Everest, also called Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा meaning Head of the Sky) or Chomolungma, Qomolangma or Zhumulangma (in ^[29][30][31]

The first small boat to sail around Cape Horn was the 42-foot (13 m) yacht Saoirse, sailed by Conor O'Brien with three friends, who rounded it during a circumnavigation of the world between 1923 and 1925. A yacht is a recreational boat It designates two rather different classes of Watercraft, sailing and power yachts Conor O'Brien (1880-1952 was an intellectual Irish aristocrat republican nationalist pioneer in modern maritime theory owner and captain of one of the first boats to sail under ^[1] In 1934, the Norwegian Al Hansen was the first to round Cape Horn single-handed from east to west — the "wrong way" — in his boat Mary Jane, but was subsequently wrecked on the coast of Chile. The sport of single-handed sailing is Sailing with only one Crewmember (ie ^[32] The first person to successfully circumnavigate the world single-handed via Cape Horn was Vito Dumas, who made the voyage in 1942 in his 33-foot (10 m) ketch Lehg II; a number of other sailors have since followed him. Vito Dumas ( September 26, 1900 - March 28, 1965) was an Argentine single-handed Sailor. A ketch is a Sailing Craft with two masts: a main mast and a shorter Mizzen mast abaft (rearward of the main mast ^[33] including Webb Chiles aboard "EGREGIOUS" who in December 1975 became the first American to round Cape Horn single-handed.

Today, there are several major yacht races held regularly along the old clipper route via Cape Horn. The first of these was the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, which was a single-handed race; this inspired the present-day Around Alone race, which circumnavigates with stops, and the Vendée Globe, which is non-stop. The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race was a The VELUX 5 OCEANS Race is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed in stages The Vendée Globe is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed non-stop and without assistance Both of these are single-handed races, and are held every four years. The Volvo Ocean Race is a crewed race with stops which sails the clipper route every four years. The Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread Round the World Race) is a Yacht race around the world held every three years The Jules Verne Trophy is a prize for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht, with no restrictions on the size of the crew (no assistance, non-stop). The Jules Verne Trophy is a prize for the fastest Circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht with no restrictions on the size of the crew Finally, the Global Challenge race goes around the world the "wrong way", from east to west, which involves rounding Cape Horn against the prevailing winds and currents.

The Horn remains a major hazard for recreational sailors, however. A classic case is that of Miles and Beryl Smeeton, who attempted to round the Horn in their yacht Tzu Hang. Hit by a rogue wave when approaching the Horn, the boat pitchpoled (ie. somersaulted end-over-end). Although they survived, and were able to make repairs in Talcahuano, Chile, they attempted the passage again, only to be rolled over, and dismasted for a second time, by another rogue wave, which again they miraculously survived. Talcahuano is a Municipality and port city in the Bio-Bio Region of Chile. ^[34]

Literature and culture

Cape Horn has been an icon of sailing culture for centuries; it has featured in sea shanties^[35] and in many books about sailing. Sea shanties (singular " shanty " also spelled " chantey " derived from the French word "chanter" 'to sing' were Shipboard One of the classic accounts of a working ship in the age of sail is Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr., in which the author describes an arduous trip from Boston to California via Cape Horn:

Charles Darwin, in The Voyage of the Beagle, a journal of the five-year expedition upon which he based The Origin of Species, described his 1832 encounter with the Horn:

Alan Villiers, a modern-day expert in traditional sailing ships, wrote many books about traditional sailing, including By way of Cape Horn. Captain Alan John Villiers (23 September 1903 – 3 March 1982 was an author adventurer photographer and Master Mariner. ^[38] More recent sailors have taken on the Horn singly, such as Vito Dumas, who wrote Alone Through The Roaring Forties based on his round-the-world voyage;^[39] or with small crews. Vito Dumas ( September 26, 1900 - March 28, 1965) was an Argentine single-handed Sailor.

Bernard Moitessier made two significant voyages round the horn; once with his wife Françoise, described in Cape Horn: The Logical Route,^[40] and once single-handed. Bernard Moitessier ( 10 April 1925 Hanoi, Vietnam &ndash 16 June 1994 near Paris, France) was His book The Long Way tells the story of this latter voyage, and of a peaceful night-time passage of the Horn: "The little cloud underneath the moon has moved to the right. I look. . . there it is, so close, less than 10 miles (16 km) away and right under the moon. And nothing remains but the sky and the moon playing with the Horn. I look. I can hardly believe it. So small and so huge. A hillock, pale and tender in the moonlight; a colossal rock, hard as diamond. "^[41]

And John Masefield wrote: "Cape Horn, that tramples beauty into wreck / And crumples steel and smites the strong man dumb"[1]

'Rounding the Horn'

Visiting Cabos de Hornos can be done on a day trip by helicopter or more arduously by charter power boat or sailboat. John Edward Masefield, OM, ( 1 June 1878 &ndash 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer and Poet Laureate However, "rounding the Horn" is traditionally understood to involve sailing from 40 South on one coast to 40 South on the other coast, a considerably more difficult and time-consuming endeavor.

Further reading

• Around Cape Horn: A Maritime Artist/Historian's Account of His 1892 Voyage, by Charles G. Davis and Neal Parker. Down East Books, 2004. ISBN 0-89272-646-6
• Cape Horn. A Maritime History, by Robin Knox-Johnston. London Hodder&Stoughton ISBN 0-340-41527-4
• Cape Horn: The Story of the Cape Horn Region, by Felix Riesenberg and William A. Briesemeister. Ox Bow Press, 1994. ISBN 1-881987-04-3
• Cape Horn and Other Stories From the End of the World, by Francisco Coloane. Latin American Literary Review Press, 2003. ISBN 1-891270-17-6
• Gipsy Moth Circles the World, Sir Francis Chichester; International Marine, 2001. ISBN 0-07-136449-8
• Haul Away! Teambuilding Lessons from a Voyage around Cape Horn, by Rob Duncan. Authorhouse, 2005. ISBN1-4208-3032-5
• Rounding the Horn: Being the Story of Williwaws and Windjammers, Drake, Darwin, Murdered Missionaries and Naked Natives - A Deck's-Eye View of Cape Horn, by Dallas Murphy. Basic Books, 2004. ISBN 0-465-04759-9
• En el Mar Austral, by Fray Mocho. University of Buenos Aires Press (La Serie del Siglo y Medio), 1960. An incredible account of the southern tip of South American by an Argentine Journalist.
• High Endeavours, by Miles Clark. Greystone, 2002. ISBN 1-55054-058-0 An account of the lives of the author's god-father Miles Smeeton, and his wife Beryl, including a couple of spectacular trips to the Horn.
• Expediciones españolas al Estrecho de Magallanes y Tierra de fuego, by Javier Oyarzun. Madrid: Ediciones Cultura Hispánica ISBN 84-7232-130-4.
• Storm Passage by Webb Chiles. Times Books ISBN 10-0812907035
• The Last of the Cape Horners. Firsthand Accounts from the Final Days of the Commercial Tall Ships, edited by Spencer Apollonio. Washington, D. C. : Brassey's, Inc. 2000. ISBN 1-57488-283-x

See also

• Cabo de Hornos, Chilean commune in Antártica Chilena Province of Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Region. A commune (comuna is the smallest administrative subdivision in Chile and may contain Cities, Towns Villages, Hamlets as well as Rural A commune (comuna is the smallest administrative subdivision in Chile and may contain Cities, Towns Villages, Hamlets as well as Rural Antártica Chilena Province is one of four provinces in its southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. Geography This region contains mountainous peaks and Glaciers in the far north including elements of the Patagonian Ice Sheet.
• Hermite Islands
• Garcia de Nodal expedition, the second passing around Cape Horn
• Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve
• Cape of Good Hope, one of its two African counterparts
• Cape Agulhas, one of its two African counterparts
• Cape Leeuwin, the Australian landmark on the clipper route
• Strait of Magellan, an alternate route around South America
• Beagle Conflict affecting the nearby Picton, Lennox and Nueva islands

References

External links

• Steve Colgate rounds Cape Horn
• Adventurer George Kourounis' expedition to Cape Horn
• Spanish WP on Commune of Cabo de Hornos
• Comuna de Cabo de Hornos / Commune of Cabo de Hornos official website
• Chilean Brotherhood of Cape Horn Captains (Caphorniers)
• Amicale Internationale des Capitaines au Long Cours Cap-Horniers (A.I.C.H.) / International Brotherhood Captains Cap-Horners
• German WP on Kap Hoornier
• Cape Horn, Tierra Del Fuego, Antarctica and South Georgia -- antique charts of the Cape Horn region
• Sailing Way Down South -- Ellen MacArthur's rendezvous at Cabo de Hornos
• Flying Cloud Around the Horn -- description of an 1853 passage of the Horn
• Antarctica, Continent of Ice -- discussion of Cape Horn and Drake Passage
• Satellite image from Google Maps
• Cape Horn to Starboard - Lin Pardey