February 9, 2011 - Day Eight - Sea Day - Strait of Magellan and Cape Horn

Pictured are the quartz rocks that comprise the southernmost edge of Cape Horn. 

Cocktail Total: 2 Grey Goose Vodka Tonics. 1 glass Pino Grigio (With the king crab legs we had for dinner)

Sunburn Status: The shedding continues… almost better

Sleep: 9 hours… feeling pretty lazy today

Despite its reputation for terrible weather, the seas have been kind to us today for our passage around Cape Horn. Nathan and I both have our sea legs now. Tonight, we rounded Cape Horn at about 8:45pm and we were on deck in the cold and wind and rain to watch the jagged rocks pass by as we cruised along at 14 knots. The Cape Horn is a beautiful and desolate landscape of peat covered granite cliffs and smashing waves.  I bet that Magellan and those who followed him around this place four hundred years ago must have been scared nearly to death navigating these waters for the first time. All I can think is that people must have been tougher then than they are now. 

The water is very blue here. It is a deeper, cleaner, fresher color of blue water than I've ever seen before. It looks cold. Great albatross played in the breeze along the ship all day. Otherwise, there is nothing in sight yet other than the jagged rocks along the southern shores of Chile and Argentina. Tomorrow we will stop at our last Argentinian Port - Ushuaia, where we will visit Tierra Del Fuego National Park. 

Its pretty surreal to be rounding Cape Horn!