Where We Be
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| Cape Horn, Chile |
| Cape Horn, sight of numerous shipwrecks, is one of only two natural passages between the Atlantic and Pacific. The other is the nearby Strait of Magellan. The third (manmade) 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 seas are too rough. On
this day the sun was mostly hidden but the seas
relatively calm. Even so, as we rounded Cape
Horn, 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, a desolate vista that felt very much
like land's end. It wasn’t hard to believe no more
land existed until you reached the South Shetland
Islands and Antarctica. We saw one solitary flag
and one building but nothing else manmade.
Robin and I toasted our successful rounding 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 seas are too rough. On
this day the sun was mostly hidden but the seas
relatively calm. Even so, as we rounded Cape
Horn, 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, a desolate vista that felt very much
like land's end. It wasn’t hard to believe no more
land existed until you reached the South Shetland
Islands and Antarctica. We saw one solitary flag
and one building but nothing else manmade.
Robin and I toasted our successful rounding of
the Horn with glasses of Chilean wine.
| The last rocky outposts before the "end of the world" -- only the South Shetland Islands and Antarctica lie further south |
| 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 |
| We 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 |
