Cape Horn to Port

CAPE HORN

We left Cape Horn to port on Saturday on March 4, 2017 on a rather windless and cloudy day in fairly rough seas.  "We" being Stephen and Marja and our faithful schooner Motu.  Cape Horn is rather more than just another big pile of rocks out in a forsaken stretch of water what with history made not just by  the likes of Slocum, Shackleton, Magellan, Drake and Darwin but rather all those ordinary seamen over the centuries who fought bitter cold and terrible seas making the rounding.

The Captain and Cape Horn

We can't really count ourselves in the same league  with all the advantages of modern electronics and weather forecasting  but it was still a big and emotional deal for us since it was something we've wanted to accomplish for many years and after many thousands of miles of blue water sailing.

Micalvi Yacht Club on a rare sunny day

Some of the inhabitants of Pto. Williams

Most of the yachts going around the Horn do so via Puerto Williams, the southern most city in the world.   Some hard-core sailers find this to be less than a genuine Cape Horn rounding as opposed to having arrived directly from the Pacific or Atlantic oceans and continuing onward.

We found our way just fine.  We made our rounding with two other yachts,  "Heart and Soul" out of Vancouver island, Canada, with David and Margaret and Hippo's Camp out of France/America with Dominique and Carole.

Waiting for weather window

So time for a BBQ!

We all sat in the Puerto Williams for a couple of weeks watching for a weather window.  There was one that opened up for just two days but the weather was forecasting this window to be slammed shut  by a gale.  This forecast was  too tenuous and also predicted a northeast wind for the trip back to Puerto Williams.

One reason for the reputation of Cape Horn besides the shear latitude is the Bay of Nassau that lies north of Cape Horn.  It is shallow and can generate horrible and dangerous seas.  Some yacht crews off of charter boats told us that a northeast wind could just stop the boat in 20 kts on the nose.  We waited.

Motu with Hippo's Camp and Heart and Soul rafted together in Pto Maxwell

Our rounding took three days with the first night spent at an anchorage called Puerto Maxwell, which is the best you can get in the area since it is surrounded by three islands and offers good protection.  The downside is the ton of kelp that comes up with your anchor in the morning,  We rounded the cape from there and then made our way toward a a day anchorage where you can sometimes get ashore at the lighthouse on Cape Horn.  The landing looked just short of suicidal the day we were there.

Landing at Caleta Leon, Cabo de Hornos.  Doesn't look bad but there was a big swell.  Photo Heart and Soul

The three boats then turned north into another anchorage,  Caleta Martial.  This was the site of the celebrations among the three boats, along with the young couple Laura and Max on Tortuga, a Westsail 32, preparing to go around the next day.    Pizza and champagne.  Does it get any better?

Opening of the Champagne!

Laura, Carole, Dominique, Stephen, Margaret, Marja and Max.  Dave took the pic

The weather remained good when we left the next day for another anchorage further north and finally back to Puerto Williams.  Fantastic!

Now we are getting ready to head north again through the canals on to Valdivia where we will spend the winter.  It is a little too cold for us to consider Puerto Williams.  Indeed, when we awoke to snow on the foothills this morning, our decision was to GO!