Traveling with Storys: November 23, 2024 - Saturday

November 23, 2024 – Saturday Day 59 of this journey

Scenic Sailing and Cape Horn

This segment of the cruise is almost done. Since we are in open ocean there is a definite roll to the ship.

Right on schedule we are at The Horn. (Around 8:00 am) The island here is Isla Hornos. Nobody on board seems to know why it was named that. Particularly since, in Spanish, Horno means oven.

Cape Horn - where the Pacific and the Atlantic meet

Same island, just from a very different angle.

We sit for a while enjoying the views and allowing for people to get their photos. Then slowly we continue on our journey and are quickly back among the islands at the very tip of South America where the water is much smoother. We will be dropping off our Chilean Pilots at Port William this afternoon and completing a bit of additional paperwork (for the ship, not for us). Then we will arrive in Ushuaia, Argentina around 7:30 pm.

All day we’ve been sailing with many Albatrosses soaring alongside. They are amazing birds. They almost never flap their wings. They ride the currents, gliding down from some height before catching an updraft and doing it all over again. They are very long lived. Scientists have been tracking a single female for over 60 years. And she is still reproducing.

Before we get to Ushuaia, the security staff started setting up Deck 1 to handle the gangway and its activity. I had noticed and wondered about panels on the wall in alcoves on both Deck 1 and Deck 2. It just dawned on me. Those panels cover the doors. I’ve walked through those doors umpteen times, and I never realized. Mystery solved.

We are alongside the doc at 7:30 pm. It’s been raining, so everything is wet and glittery. The Andes that are the backdrop to this community are stunning. I’ve seen pictures many times over the years, but pictures just don’t do it justice. Many of our Expedition Team are from Ushuaia and are excited to be home, even if it just for one night.