The End of the World

Isla Hornos  (Horn Island) is a Chilean Island at the tip of South America, part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. The southernmost tip, Cape Horn, is 640 km (398 miles) from Antarctica. Although there are a few islands south, this is called "the end of the world". Jack bought the hat.

Our ship arrived at 8:00 a.m. on a cool, blustery day.  It is not always safe to circle the island but the captain determined that we could do it. The Chilean Navy maintains a station on the island consisting of a residence, chapel, utility building and lighthouse. To the right of the station shown in the picture is a metal sculpture, called "The Albatross", erected in memory of all the sailors who lost their lives rounding the Horn.

From a distance, the monument looks like two triangular sails.

We did not land, but if we had we could have seen this.




Seeing the rocks in the Drake Passage, it is easy to imagine why old time ships, without the technology we have today, had such a difficult time navigating Cape Horn.