Cape Horn

Cape Horn is the southernmost point of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in southern Chile. Along with the passage through the Strait of Magellan, the route around Cape Horn is one of two routes around the southern tip of South America. In the sixteenth century, explorers such as Ferdinand Magellan and Sir Francis Drake began sailing the waters near Cape Horn. Two Dutch adventurers rounded the cape for the first time in 1616.

Cape Horn’s conditions are often perilous, as icebergs, huge waves, and powerful winds are prevalent. These conditions make rounding Cape Horn dangerous. But from the 1700s to the early 1900s, the passage was an important route for ships carrying goods and people. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, which connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the creation of transcontinental railroads in North America, reduced nautical travel around Cape Horn. Today, sailors round the cape for sport, as sailing Cape Horn is considered a difficult exercise.

Location and Climate

Cape Horn is located on Isla Hornos in the Hermite Islands in southern Chile. Rising 1,391 feet above the water, Cape Horn is part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, which is a group of islands. Cape Horn marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage, which is the strait between South America and Antarctica. The cape is also near the line that divides the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Cape Horn is part of the Commune of Cabo de Hornos, which is part of the Antártica Chilena Province.

Because of its southern latitude, Cape Horn’s climate is generally cool. In Ushuaia, Argentina, which is located about 90 miles north of Cape Horn, average summer temperatures range from 42°F to 57°F, while average winter temperatures range from 29°F to 40°F. Storms near Cape Horn are common throughout the year. Strong winds and precipitation are especially powerful during the winter, occurring as much as 30 percent of the time. Winds generally blow west to east, and the Andes and the Antarctic Peninsula often create a funneling effect. The waves sometimes swell to twelve feet, and icebergs are prevalent. Visibility occasionally drops to less than a half mile.

History

Cape Horn was named after the Dutch city of Hoorn and was originally called Kaap Hoorn. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, several explorers sailed the waters near Cape Horn. In 1520, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailed between the Tierra del Fuego and the mainland. Several years later, in 1525, Francisco de Hoces, a Spanish sea captain, commanded a vessel that was blown south near Cape Horn. In 1578, the ships of English navigator Sir Francis Drake passed through the Strait of Magellan, which is a passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Drake’s ships were driven to the south of Tierra del Fuego. Drake surmised that the Tierra del Fuego was an island with open water to the south. A few decades later, in 1616, Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire became the first men to round Cape Horn.

The conditions around the Tierra del Fuego make rounding Cape Horn a dangerous undertaking. The voyage was particularly hazardous for sailing ships of the past. Cape Horn was the site of numerous shipwrecks, and many sailors perished attempting to round the cape. A successful journey around the cape sometimes took as long as eight months. Even so, from the 1700s to the early 1900s, the passage was a vital route for maritime traffic between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, especially for ships carrying goods and people from the east coasts of North and South America to the west coasts.

Once the Panama Canal opened in 1914 and transcontinental railroads were built in North America, nautical travel around Cape Horn was diminished. The Panama Canal is an artificial waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Stretching for about 50 miles from Colón, Panama, on the Atlantic side to Balboa, Panama, on the Pacific side, the canal allows ships to pass between the two oceans. Mariners can save a great deal of time and money by using the Panama Canal instead of traveling the much longer and more dangerous route around Cape Horn. In 1949, the Pamir was the last commercial sailing vessel to round Cape Horn, sailing from Port Victoria, Australia, to Falmouth, England.

Cape Horn Today

Although many ships now use the Panama Canal to pass between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, some sailors still take on the challenge of rounding Cape Horn. Several famous yachting competitions even feature routes around the cape. Today’s ships are generally better equipped to make their way around the cape, but the journey is still difficult and dangerous. However, a sailor named Ronnie Simpson successfully sailed around the Cape in February 2024 with no mainsail.

A station operated by the Chilean Navy is located near Cape Horn on Horn Island. The station has several buildings, including the Cape Horn Lighthouse, a chapel, and a residence. In addition, the site features a memorial commemorating the sailors who lost their lives trying to round Cape Horn. The memorial includes a sculpture of the silhouette of an albatross. The cape itself is home to a thirteen-foot fiberglass light tower, which is considered the true Cape Horn lighthouse.

Bibliography

Ghosh, Diptarka. “Cape Horn.” WorldAtlas.com, Valnet, Inc., 29 Mar. 2021, www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/capehorn.htm. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

Pariona, Amber. “Panama Canal.” WorldAtlas.com, Valnet, Inc., 25 Apr. 2017, www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/camerica/pncanal.htm. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

“Rounding Cape Horn.” GlobalSecurity.org, www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/panama-canal-horn.htm. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

Saundry, Peter. “Cape Horn.” Encyclopedia of Earth, www.eoearth.org/view/article/150895. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.