We have rounded Cape Horn!
This morning at 03:30 we rounded Cape Horn. The
real Cape Horn, an Island in front of a jagged coast line with many small
islands and inlets. We saw her lights shining in the darkness and saw here
contours as we rounded her with the orange/pink sunlight of the early morning
sun. What a sight! As we rounded her we woke everybody up, and out came the
sleepy heads in their foulweather gear. The sight they got, woke them up
quickly. They did not see the piece off land they were expecting, but a enormous
squall that had swallowed us and was trowing rain and hail at us at 50 knots per
hour.. But everybody was smiling and the sip of rum went down very smooth!
We did not get our Cape Horn rounding for free! Around 4 this afternoon
squalls came in and the mainsail had to come down. During part of the evening we
almost had to sail close hauled with a wind force 7 to 8. Then the wind backed
again and gave us the chance to sail straight to the lights of Cape Horn. And
just as we were rounding the rock more squalls came in. We had to wake up Gijs
and got the mizzen down and then rode down waves that build up like crazy! Wind
got to a 9 bf and then far into a 10 bf… Forestaysail down, some awesome
actions of lashing the sail down of the red watch and on we went with 9 knots on
just the storm jib.
During all this action, seals appeared! jumping out
of the water swimming in front and underneath the ship, playing in the waves and
daring us to laugh in this true Cape Horn weather. The barometer has dropped and
dropped, 16hp in 12 hours… so this wind was to be expected…
The red watch will give you their full description of all that happened in their logbook
tomorrow. For now, they have gone off to bed, a well deserved rest after an
intense watch. Maybe by that time they can tell us ‘what happens after you round
Cape Horn’.
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