Day 16 - Cape Horn and North

The captain, in his evening address as we left Ushuaia, advised us that the sess would be rough overnight - swells 9 to 12 feet. They were. Laying in the bed in the early morning, the ship pitched and jumped as it ploughed through the waves on our approach to Cape Horn.

We reached the Cape about 7:30 am. The Cape is the southernmost tip of the South American continent and the northern extent of the Drake Passage - the 500-mile expanse between South America and Antarctica. The Cape is Chilean territory and the military maintains an outpost with a lighthouse, housing and chapel here. The Eclipse pulled along side the island and held position while passengers flocked to the portside decks to look and take pictures. In addition to the military outpost, there is a large memorial sculpture commemorating those sailors who lost there lives trying to "round the horn." The sculpture is the outline of an albatross, created by a Chilean sculptor. The seas had calmed somewhat but it was still moderately rough with swells around 8 feet.

After maybe 15 minutes, the captain turned us north to start up the Argentine coast. Today and tomorrow are sea days before we reach our first mainland Argentine port Puerto Madryn. We had breakfast and returned to the room.

Didn't do a lot the rest of the day. Spent time in the room reading and looking out at the improving weather. The ship cleared the eastern toe of Tierra del Fuego and headed north into open waters. The seas grew gradually calmer as we cruised. It was still chilly on deck with a strong wind.

The evening's show was a powerful singer who did international standards from the 50s and 60s. We'd made reservations at one of the specialty restaurants, Tuscan Grille. There are five specialty eateries if you are tired of the buffet or grand dining room (and don't mind paying for you dinner). We had a great meal sitting at the very back of the ship with the propeller wake streaming behind us.

Tomorrow another sea day steaming north.Read more