Cape Horn and Wulaia Bay, Feb 23

Here's our cabin on my ship. Cabin 230. Surround sound radio, shower, hairdryer, closet, safe, and the best pillows in the world. Total contentment.

Evening of embarkement, calm waters.

As I went through my memories, it's hard to believe we visited both of these places on the same day. But I'm pretty sure we actually did......well,...I think. It's sort of a blur.

Cape Horn. Bane to many sailors, and the cause of many shipwrecks. It's legendary for its dangerous winds and waters. The southernmost tip of South America, where ships had to brave the elements until Magellan discovered his Straights. Mom has wanted to "round the horn" since she was a child, so this was a huge day for her/us. It was to be our first excursion off my ship, using Zodiacs. Heck, just getting on a Zodiac alone sounded fun to me!

Our first night on the ship was lovely. A welcome cocktail as we were introduced to the captain and his crew, as well as the Expedition Team (the fun guys who got to do all the cool stuff). A beautiful dinner, followed by me falling into my bed. I woke up around 1am because I nearly fell off my bed. The ship was rockin' and rolling quite a bit. Glad I don't get seasick! It lasted through the night into the morning.

Roiling waters in the morning.

We were to gather at some lovely pre-breakfast hour (6:30 perhaps?) for our trip to Cape Horn Island. We all met, dressed with every layer possible, plus galoshes, plus life vests and we patiently awaited word whether we got to go or not. It was SO windy, there was a good chance they'd call off the Zodiac trips to the island. Oh, how we were hoping! I stepped outside to get a feel for the wind, and wow. It was hard to stand up!

On deck 4, testing the winds.

Finally we got word that we were going! We were within 1 knot of not going. In hindsight, I'm glad it was so windy. We experienced Cape Horn as it should be experienced!! We were in the "worst" possible conditions and still be allowed to go. So we loaded the Zodiacs and were taken to the island. The water was so rough, as we docked at the island, men in wetsuits were in the water to help stabilize the Zodiacs. Brrr!!! We had 160 stairs to climb first thing, but it gave us a great (and sheltered) view of our ship.

Ship and Zodiacs from Cape Horn Stairs

This island is not only the last island before Antarctica, but it's the last outpost of the Chilean Navy. There's a family that lives on this island, manning the lighthouse I suppose. They live here for 1 year, then the Navy lets them choose their next posting. I was told it's an honor to be chosen to work Cape Horn, but I'm not sure I'd want that job.

Island

As soon as we got up the stairs and into the open, the wind hit. I have never felt wind like this. We were on a 3ft wide wooden walkway and at times it was hard to stay on it. This was the first moment (and possibly the only) when I thought to myself how glad I was that Audrey was NOT with me. She would have blown right off that island!

Let the wind begin!

Even with the wind and harsh conditions, beauty still exists.

A ray of sun.

On this island is a memorial statue, honoring all the sailors across time who lost their lives in this area. I wanted to see it, but this portion of the walk was particularly brutal. People were hunched down, some nearly squat-walking to remain on their feet. Mom and I made it after quite a struggle, trust me!

Windy, windy walk. Wow.

At last we made it. I stood to the left of this sculpture and fell backwards into the wind with my entire body weight, and the wind held me up. Such force,....makes sense why it is called "the broom of god".

Albatross

"I, the albatross that awaits at the end of the world,

I am the forgotten soul of the sailors lost,

rounding Cape Horn from all the seas of the world.

But die they did not in the fierce waves,

for today towards eternity, in my wings they soar,

in the last crevice of the Antarctic winds."

We made a quick stop at the lighthouse, but at that point we were over-winded and ready to get back to the ship for breakfast and hot coffee!

Our Zodiac(s)

As we left the Cape Horn area, the weather improved. The reason we visited so early in the morning is that the weather consistently worsens later in the day. Hard to imagine it windier!

Blue sky and mountains, on the way to Wulaia Bay

We Zodiac-rode again in the afternoon for a hike. We visited a bay/island where Darwin spent some time and met some locals. He took three natives back with him to Europe, hoping to teach them the civilized way of living. Why do we (as in Europeans) always feel the need to push our beliefs upon others? Anyway...the hike was gorgeous. I met one of the guides who talked me into taking part in that evening's International Fashion Show (more on that later), enjoyed the exercise, and ended with a decadent cup of hot chocolate.

Parasites on trees

When we reached the top of the hike, our guide, Mauricio, asked us to just be still and quiet for a few minutes, to listen. Really listen. After all the sounds of our lives: airplanes, sirens, air conditioners, phones, people, engines, music....to finally hear nothing was beautiful. No jets in the air, no background hum of an engine or a heater....silence. Thank you, Mauricio, for having us listen.

View from the top of the hike.

Me at the top, post-silence.

The forest on the walk down.

When we reached the end of the hike, we were offered hot chocolate, coke, or whiskey on the rocks (in a real glass!). That's a good way to travel, if I do say so myself. On our trip back to the ship, our Zodiac was surrounded by dolphins, leaping and playing.

On of my favorite pics.

Later that night, after dinner, I was part of the "International Fashion Show". Sorry, I have no pictures. We wore items that were for sale in the ship's store (raincoats etc). It was pretty cheesy, but I had a great time. After that, I stayed up late with some of the crew. We drank pisco sours, played a Chilean dice game and sang (really bad) karaoke. It was, all in all, a perfect day.