1-24 Cape Horn and Drake Passage

1-30 Day 25 Cape Horn and Drake Passage

This morning around 7a.m., we arrived at Cape Horn. From our last trip here, I learned that Cape Horn is not the southern tip of S. America. It is really a large rock y island a little south of that. It is a dangerous passage to go around because of the dangerous winds and consequent waves.

When we came upon it this morning, it was raining. After just a little bit, the sun came out. It was great to be able to take pictures of the Horn with both backgrounds. But that wasn't all. It then snowed and hailed. The back deck of the ship had little bits of ice on it. And then the grand finale was a double rainbow that our ship went under. It was spectacular. I've never seen anything quite like it. And all this happened within 30 minutes. It was unbelievable to think the weather conditions could change so quickly and last for such a short time. When we were here two years ago, there were hurricane winds. So, we were able to see the Horn this time under very different conditions. It was windy and cold, however, out on deck most of the time. So, we'd come in while it snowed and rained and then ran out to get pictures when it stopped.

The captain thought while the weather was sunny and calm that we'd be able to go all the way around the entire Horn, but as he was making a turn, an unexpected wind came at the same time as an unexpected huge swell. As a result, the ship literally tilted to one side so much that from inside, Doug said he could no longer see the horizon, just the ocean as he looked out a large window by the pool. I was looking the other way and trying to keep things from falling off the table I was standing by. Apparently, some of the water in the pool came flying out and created a couple of inches of standing water on the other side. We also heard lots of crashing of dishes and things falling. We later heard other stories about all the things that broke as they fell off counters, etc. We didn't hear about anyone getting hurt. At this point, the captain decided we would not be able to go around the whole thing. We had seen a lot of it, but were not able to see the little houses and chapel on the island. It was quite an experience.

After all the excitement, we had breakfast and went to hear a presentation about upcoming ports. Following that, we heard a presentation about the marine ecosystem in Antarctica. The speaker was a very experienced marine scientist in this part of the world. We learned a lot about glaciers and ice bergs. He also told us what kinds of wildlife to expect – so we should have no problems seeing lots of penguins, seals and hopefully whales. We will only be seeing the peninsula part of Antarctica, which is where 90% of the land is – the rest being just ice. We will not go as far south as the Antarctic Circle because there is nothing more to see there than up in the peninsula area.

We had lunch with a couple from Loveland, CO whom I had met yesterday. They like to travel, so it was fun sharing stories – and made me a bit homesick for the mountains in CO.

Another presentation at 2 p.m. about Antarctica. We are getting lots of info about this continent – although this presentation was our least favorite. He talked as much about Alaska and polar bears (which aren't in Antarctica) as he did Antarctica.

By this time we were pooped – had been up early and so we were physically tired, as well as mentally on overload. A two hour nap before dinner refreshed us. Dinner was enjoyable with our group of 8. Had lots to catch up on since we didn't dine with them last night.

After we left Cape Horn, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the Drake Passage – the area between the Cape and Antarctica. During the summer, it can be smooth and easy or very turbulent. You just have no idea until you're there. We were lucky! It was smooth sailing!!! The Holland America ship that was here right before us (and we passed in the Beagle Channel didn't have such good luck. They had 6 inches of snow and visibility was poor so couldn't see much of Antarctica. And the ocean was choppy. We feel fortunate.

The next three days will be quite active with lots to see (hopefully!) We will be going back and forth from port to starboard to see everything around us. And because it is light for so long, the nights will be short, so not much sleep is expected. I think it is going to be THE MOST FUN!!!