January 29, 2017 - Rounding Cape Horn, 2017 Cruise to South American & Cape Horn- 2017 Cruise to South American & Cape Horn

January 29, 2017 – Rounding Cape Horn and Dancers

Wake up call got us up at 6:30am for our arrival at Cape Horn and it is a spectacular day!!! Winds that usually rage between 35 and 75kts are a mere 13 kts. Bright sunrise morning and the cape is clearly visible. The circumnavigation of the cape is on! We approached the cape from the Atlantic side which was the traditional way of rounding it. You have to stay about 2 miles from land, however, because as you round the mountain on the Pacific side there is a series of rocks that are barely visible above the water and were a trap for unwary sailors who rounded it too close. The southern tip of the cape rises to just over 1,100 feet and drops to about 400 feet on the north side.

  
Woke up to this, WOW! Cape Horn is about 400 miles north of Antarctica.
   
The island belongs to Chile and there is actually a Chilean Naval Base located there, however, it is made up of only an officer, his wife and his two kids. They maintain the lighthouse and operate the radio and weather station. There is a sculpture of an albatross that stands over 100’ high and is dedicated to all the sailors who have lost their lives trying to make this difficult turn around South America.

  
Navel Weather Station and the Albatross Memorial to Sailors.


Besides all the small rock guarding the cape, the weather is generally nothing short of nasty with high winds, Antarctic storms and snow at least 5 months per year. Waves have been measured up to 60’ at the weather station. We had heard some weather horror stories from other cruisers who have made this trip over the years so we were incredibly fortunate. During our 26 mile circumnavigation, the captain was so delighted by the weather that he slowed the ship in front of the naval/lighthouse/weather station and did a 360 degree turn of the vessel to give everyone on board a good view of the installation and the albatross monument.

      

Elaine at Cape Horn

Finished with our circle of Cape Horn, the ship began its voyage up the Atlantic side of Argentina to our next port at Puerto Madryn, Argentina.

Later on we went to a back stage tour of the Celebrity Theater on board the ship for a question and answer session with some of the entertainers and a tour of the prop and dressing areas. Got an interesting talk by the young lady who is the dance captain about some of the quick costume changes that have to be made. She told us that in an upcoming show, she and her dancers have less than 20 seconds to make a costume change in a area back stage that is completely dark!  Your costume is laid out on the floor and you have to make sure that you find your own, get into it and make sure the costume you have discarded is out of the way for when they finish the next routine and dance off the stage, all done in under 20 seconds. The costumes are laid out in the reverse order that the girls leave the stage, but mistakes can happen!

That evening in the atrium the Flyer Dancers performed a show.