Where We Be
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| Cape Horn, Chile |
| Cape Horn, sight of numerous shipwrecks, is one of only two natural ways between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; the other is the nearby Strait of Magellan; the third (man-made) is the Panama Canal |
We headed upstairs to the Constellation Lounge
on Deck 11 with its immense picture windows and
barely found a place to sit. The place was crowded
with people who were there, like us, to watch the
rounding of Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of
the continent.
We found a spot on the carpeted floor right next
to a window where we could get good views
looking out. Outside it was chilly and the wind was
blowing fiercely. Dad went out at one point and
said he was almost knocked over by the wind.
We were fortunate to get a day where it was even
possible to round the Horn, because more than
fifty percent of the time they have to cancel it
because the weather and the seas are too rough.
On this day the sun was mostly hidden but the
seas were relatively calm. Even so, as we rounded
Cape Horn itself, you could feel the pick-up in the
waves and even a ship as big as the Celebrity
Infinity got jostled around a bit.
The scenery outside was of rocky islands and
promontories sticking up out of the water, a
desolate scene that felt very much like the End of
the World. It wasn’t hard to believe no more land
existed until you reached Antarctica. We saw one
solitary flag and one building but nothing else man-
made. Robin and I toasted our successful round-
ing of the Horn with glasses of Chilean wine.
on Deck 11 with its immense picture windows and
barely found a place to sit. The place was crowded
with people who were there, like us, to watch the
rounding of Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of
the continent.
We found a spot on the carpeted floor right next
to a window where we could get good views
looking out. Outside it was chilly and the wind was
blowing fiercely. Dad went out at one point and
said he was almost knocked over by the wind.
We were fortunate to get a day where it was even
possible to round the Horn, because more than
fifty percent of the time they have to cancel it
because the weather and the seas are too rough.
On this day the sun was mostly hidden but the
seas were relatively calm. Even so, as we rounded
Cape Horn itself, you could feel the pick-up in the
waves and even a ship as big as the Celebrity
Infinity got jostled around a bit.
The scenery outside was of rocky islands and
promontories sticking up out of the water, a
desolate scene that felt very much like the End of
the World. It wasn’t hard to believe no more land
existed until you reached Antarctica. We saw one
solitary flag and one building but nothing else man-
made. Robin and I toasted our successful round-
ing of the Horn with glasses of Chilean wine.
| The last rocky outposts before the "End of the World" -- only Antarctica lies southward beyond Cape Horn |
| We were lucky to find a place to sit at all (by the way, the bright green outside the window is astroturf) |
| We made ourselves a little "nest" on the carpet and looked out the picture window at the view |
| Robin and I clinked glasses of Chilean wine as we successfully rounded the Horn |
| The skies looked grim but the seas were calm |
| If you like solitude, strong winds, and potentially fierce weather, southern Patagonia is your kind of place |
