Cape Horn
Cape Horn (Spanish: Cabo de Hornos) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island and known as the Sailors Graveyard.
Although not the most southerly point of South America, (which are the Diego Ramírez Islands), Cape Horn marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage; for many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried trade around the world. However, the waters around the Cape are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds, large waves, strong currents and icebergs; these dangers have made it notorious as a sailors' graveyard.
The need for ships to round the Cape Horn was greatly reduced by the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. However, sailing around the Horn is widely regarded as one of the major challenges in yachting. Thus, a few recreational sailors continue to sail this route, sometimes as part of a circumnavigation of the globe, and almost all of these choosing routes through the channels to the north of the actual Cape (though many take a detour through the islands and anchor to wait for fair weather to actually visit Horn Island or even sail around it to replicate a rounding of this historic point).
Several prominent ocean yacht races, notably the Volvo Ocean Race, the VELUX 5 Oceans and the Vendée Globe, sail around the world via the Horn, and speed records for round-the-world sailing are recognized for following this route.
Open Water Swimming
- Ryan Stramrood, Ram Barkai, Andrew Chin, Kieron Palframan and Toks Viviers swam around Cape Horn.
- Nuala Moore swam one mile from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean through the Drake Passage two miles south of Cape Horn where the water temperature was 7°C amid 3 meter ocean swells.
- On 22 February 2022, Bárbara Hernández Huerta swam 5.55 km in the Drake Passage off Cape Horn in 56 minutes 15 seconds.
Cold Channel Challenge
A crossing of Cape Horn is part of the Cold Channel Challenge, a series of 4 solo cold water crossings:
- 5 km Beagle Channel or the 5-mile Lynne Cox route in the Beagle Channel in Argentina
- 2 km Strait of Magellan in Patagonia
- 2 km Cape Horn in southern Chile
- 4 km Bering Strait between the Diomede Islands in Alaska, USA and Russia
External links
- The Growth Of Open Water Swimming In Latin America
- Antarctic Circle Challenge, An Ice Swimming Hall Of Fame Honor Event
- Swimming Around Cape Horn
- Proper Measurement Of Water Temperatures In The Open Water
- Antartica Circle Ice Challenge: The Goal, Men And Cause
- Most Difficult Swims In The World - Southern Hemisphere
- Most Difficult Swims In The World - Northern Hemisphere
- America's Very Difficult Open Water Swims
- 10 Difficult Short Open Water Swims
- Hombre De Hielo Churning Of Conflicting Currents
- Antarctica, Site Of The Off The Beaten Track Expedition
- Cold Water Crossings With Patagonia Swim
- A Dream Series Of Swim In Patagonia With Nuala Moore
- Are You A Floater Or A Sinker In The Open Water?
- Meeting Of The Oceans, Swim With No Land East Or West
- PatagoniaSwim
- Cold Water Crossings With Patagonia Swim
- Open Water Swimming
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- Nature Or Nurture In The Open Water
- Open Water Swimming Long, Long Ago In Chile
- Honoring And Looking Back At An Adventure Of A Lifetime
