After cruising for the better part of two days, we arrived at Cape Horn. Well we arrived just off Cape Horn. We would not be going ashore. The little Naval Station and lighthouse does not have facilities to welcome 3,000 cruisers ashore. The Captain positioned the ship close to shore and then slowly rotated 360 degrees to give everyone a nice view.
The lighthouse is still operational and is staffed by a Chilean Naval Officer and his family. To the right of the picture are two side facing triangles, which is the memorial to the more than 10,000 who have lost their lives around Cape Horn. Upon closer inspection, the triangles represent flights of the albatross.
After sitting off the island for pictures, we eventually rounded the horn and began our way to our next stop, Ushuaia, Argentina, projounced oos-wai-ya.
Sailing around Cape Horn, just like Sir Francis Drake, has been on my bucket list for a long time. I am thrilled to be here. By the way, I always just assumed that the cape got its name due to the shape of Southern South America. However, it is actually named after the Dutch city, Hoorn, the base of the Dutch East Indian Trading Company.
So, after a couple of hours off Cape Horn, we headed for Ushuaia, the most southern city in the world. There are some small villages further south, but Ushuaia is a city. For our stop there, Bill and I elected to take a tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park and then later walk around the city before returning to the ship. Tierra del Fuego, which means Land of Fire, is a stunning Argentine park on the southern tip of Patagonia.
The park pictures really do not really depict how stunning it is. We spent about 3 hours there, making several stops. The picture of me at the sign marks the Southern end of The Trans American Highway, which ostensibly runs between Anchorage, Alaska and Tierra del Fuego NP, but we know there are some significant gaps. Nonetheless, our tour guide was really proud that this is the beginning of that highway, or end, according to your perspective.
After our time in the park, we headed back into Ushuaia.
It seems, some people have added their own signs to the distance markers. Bill and I were amused to see this vintage Miller High Life sign, so far from Milwaukee. All aboard was at 3:30 PM. Apparently, the Captain wanted to get to a certain point in the Beagle Channel while it was still light. So, just before 4, we set sail for our first land stop in Chile, Punta Arenas. Meanwhile, we just set back and watched the scenery in this narrow passage go by.
John and William- On the Road Again 