sailing around cape horn on a cruise ship

How to Prepare for a Cruise Around South America and Cape Horn

For many people, a South American Cruise around Cape Horn is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. People often plan something like this to celebrate a milestone birthday, anniversary, or another big life event. My husband and I took our South American Cruise in 2016 for our 20th Anniversary.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. These links are just one way that I support my site. By clicking on these links I may receive a small commission. But don’t worry, you will not pay more for the products. 

What is it Like to Take a Cruise Around South America and the Horn?

A South American Cruise is not all that different from any other cruise. You can expect most of the same amenities and activities found on any other cruise.

• Multiple dining options ranging from buffets to premium restaurants
• Multiple bars
• Spa with a full menu including hair and nails, body treatments, and facials
• Fitness center offering classes and fitness assessments
• Multiple pools. Some ships have adult-only pool areas
• Oodles of organized activities including, lectures, games, and demonstrations
• Activities and facilities for kids of every age too

However, since this is a longer cruise and typically more costly than a short Caribbean sailing, these cruises cater to an older clientele. Therefore, you can expect to see fewer kids sailing on a South American Cruise. As a Gen Xer, and my husband a young Boomer, we were some of the youngest folks on our cruise.

Table of Contents

The mega-ships are not traveling to South America so it is a more intimate experience. Sadly, on our Royal Caribbean South America Cruise, this didn’t translate into a more personalized encounter. (I’m not knocking Royal Caribbean but being honest about the experience. We’ve taken five delightful cruises with RC. This just wasn’t one of them in terms of dedicated service and attention to detail.)

How Many Days for a South America Cruise Around the Horn?

There isn’t a right or wrong to this but you can expect that your South America itinerary will be at least 10 days. More often though you are looking at a 14-day cruise and you will cover more than 4000 nautical miles (4600+ miles). If your cruise does not go around the Horn and through the Chilean Fjord but rather directly through the Strait of Magellan you will travel closer to 3200 nautical miles.

The duration of your cruise and the number of ports visited will dictate how many at-sea days you will have. Typically, you can expect about 50 percent of the days to be at sea. I found this to be a nice balance.

When is the Best Time to Cruise South America?

Most South American cruises run from late October to mid-March which is the best time to go to South America. This means that you will be sailing during winter in the northern hemisphere. South America’s seasons are the opposite so you will be cruising during South America’s summer. That’s just one of the things that makes a cruise around the continent a wonderful winter vacation option.

Let’s face it, who doesn’t love going someplace warm in the wintertime? But, while you will want to pack your swimsuit and sunscreen, don’t expect to sun yourself poolside throughout your entire trip.

Read my South America and Cape Horn Cruise Packing Guide and know exactly what to pack and what to leave home.

What’s the weather like in south america and around the horn.

On an Around the Horn cruise, you will encounter all kinds of weather. Throughout your sailing, you can expect, the sun, rain, wind, and even snow. That said, you should expect the daytime South American temperature to range from the 90s in Buenos Aires to the 30s when sailing through the Strait of Magellan. You can expect the cold weather to continue as your ship heads up the west coast and through the Chilean Fjords.

In looking over my materials from our cruise it appears that the warmest day was our port stop in Puerto Madryn, Argentina when we hit a high of 92 degrees. We cruised the 3rd week of February.

Cape Horn Weather

You will need your  hat and gloves  more than you will need a swimsuit . Despite cruising during South America’s warmer months, you can expect temperatures no higher than 60 degrees. The average high is 58 degrees with average lows around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Year-round the Cape receives a fair amount of precipitation and summer is the wettest season of the year. Much of the precipitation comes in the form of snow.

During your sailing around Cape Horn, you can expect rain, snow, sleet, and wind. It can be quite nasty if you are not a cold-weather person. I am not! We had wet snow during this part of our cruise. But don’t worry. You won’t be in extreme weather for too long. Only about a day and a half of your cruise will subject you to this. Also, the scenery is so beautiful you won’t mind. The glaciers and the vast wilderness will distract and awe you.

Documents, Disease, and Sea Sickness

You will need your passport for your South American cruise. And you will need to have 6 months left on it before it expires. This is not the requirement for all countries you will visit but it is true of Brazil and since almost all South American cruises start, dock, or terminate in Brazil this is an important detail. Other countries have similar requirements but since 6 months is the longest period you will be good for, all the other countries you’ll be visiting.

Recently, Brazil dropped its requirement for US Citizens to purchase a visa. This will save you some hefty ching as a Brazilian visa came with a substantial price tag in the past. The other countries you will be visiting do not have visa requirements. But you will want to check with your cruise line to verify if any other documents are required at your ports of entry.

You should always have your routine vaccinations (measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot) up to date but that is especially true if you are traveling. Additionally, for your cruise around the Horn, you will need to have your Hepatitis A vaccine. This needs to be done no later than 2 weeks before your departure. Hepatitis B is not essential.

The Typhoid vaccine is recommended by the CDC for travel to South America. This is a food-borne illness. However, since you will likely be eating food provided on the cruise ship your risk of contracting Typhoid is minimal. This is not to say you should not get the vaccine. You need to consider how much risk you are willing to take. Keep in mind that while in port you may choose to enjoy the local cuisine.

Another consideration is all those pesky diseases spread by mosquitos; Yellow Fever, Malaria,  Dengue, and Zika. As with exposure to food-borne illnesses, your risk of contracting one of these diseases is greatly diminished by being on a cruise. However, you will not spend all your time on the ship. I highly recommend you purchase a strong insect repellent and use it. A repellent with DEET is recommended .

If you are prone to seasickness you are going to want to pack Dramamine or another motion sickness remedy.  For most of the cruise, you can expect regionally normal seas. However, what that means for your experience has a lot to do with the size of the ship you are on, where you are on the vessel, the weather, and how you respond to the motion.

All these variables make it impossible to predict your experience. However, Cape Horn waves can create some rough conditions and I mean quite rough. As your ship takes you around the Horn and through the Strait of Magellan, I assure you your ship will be rocking. In fact, you can expect that the ship’s pools and hot tubs will be drained to prevent the water from sloshing out onto the decks and creating slick, icy, and hazardous conditions.

I am not one to get seasick and this was the closest I’ve ever come to it on a cruise. So you don’t make the same mistake, let me tell you what I did which I’m certain contributed to my overwhelming nausea. We were in a balcony suite and I was putting my make-up on to get ready for dinner. I believe that looking in the mirror and having the reflection of the waves behind me played tricks on my equilibrium thus causing me to become queasy. Tip: close the curtains if you are similarly situated.

That evening I opted out of dinner. I stayed behind in the cabin and lay on the bed with my eyes closed. That worked for me. I didn’t require anything to settle my belly.

Bill went on to dinner without me that evening. Since he was dining alone, he opted for the buffet rather than the dining room. He tells me there were very few people milling around outside their stateroom that evening. And, at the buffet, he literally caught a roast as it flew from the counter.

South American Cruise Ports of Call and Excursions

The ports you visit on your South American cruise partially depend on the size of the cruise ship you are traveling on. Larger ships may not be able to dock or even tender in some of the smaller ports and will, therefore, need to bypass those. I will provide a primer for the larger ports since my voyage was on a sizable ship and these are the ports I’ve experienced.

On an Around the Horn cruise, excursions will provide you the opportunity to experience pristine natural landscapes with incredible wildlife, amazing cosmopolitan cities, indigenous cultures, colonial cities and so much more. Of course, much of your experience will depend on how you choose to spend your time in the ports you visit.

If you spend your time in the cities you will have a different experience than someone who goes to the wildlife preserves or an estancia (ranch). I recommend mixing it up. We loved seeing the penguins and the elephant seals at the Peninsula Valdes. But we also enjoyed exploring Buenos Aires which is both historic and cosmopolitan.

If you are under 55, you can expect to be one of the younger people on your cruise ship. Probably not the youngest but close. (The above picture includes probably all the people under 55 who were on our cruise). There will be lots of older people with varying degrees of ability. For this reason, don’t expect your excursions to be crazy, over-the-top, extreme activities. Even the excursions classified as strenuous are within the capabilities of most travelers.

The most demanding excursion we took was in Ushuaia, and it was categorized as “strenuous.” It included rafting and hiking. I remember being a bit winded during the hike but that probably had more to do with altitude than my physical condition. Also, I was less than a year out from a hip replacement but was able to manage my activities. Of course, if you have any physical restrictions you will want to get more information about the excursions before booking.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is sometimes referred to as the “Paris of South America.” This wonderful cosmopolitan city has loads of history and culture. For this port of call, we opted to take a tour of the city with Context Travel rather than booking an excursion through the cruise line. This generally is not recommended but I had an established relationship with the company.

Our tour took us through the historic Puerto Madero where the Puente de la Mujer (Bridge of the Woman) connects the old port with the new city.  We visited the Presidential Palace, Casa Rosado (Pink House), and  Plaza de Mayo . Here we learned about Eva Peron and the Abuela Movement which is a tragic part of Argentina’s recent history.

When we finished our tour we ventured off on our own strolling through the San Telmo neighborhood and grabbing a bite to eat. From here we caught a cab to the vibrant La Boca neighborhood. La Boca is considered a tourist trap but I think the brightly colored buildings, Tango dancers, the smell of Asado carnitas (barbequed meat) and music pouring onto the street were worth a visit.

In Buenos Aries, you can expect excursions to include activities such as tango shows, a visit to an estancia (ranch), shopping, walking tours of the city center, and Recoleta Cemetary.

Montevideo, Uruguay

Like Buenos Aires, Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, is a city with a strong European influence.  This city marked by tree-lined streets offers a lively art and culture scene. This port city, the 18th-century home of the Spanish naval base retains its old-world charm. We did not visit the city but rather ventured outside it. However, I heard terrific things about it and wish we had time to visit during our day in port.

Our excursion took us to the charming small town of Colonia del Sacramento. This waterfront village oozes with colonial charm. Gaslamps line narrow cobblestone streets. On the streets, you will find cars from days gone by. Take time to walk along the promenade or climb the lighthouse.

Other excursions took cruisers to the Uruguayan countryside with visits to wineries and estancias.

Puerto Madryn

For wildlife lovers, this port of call will wow you! Puerto Madryn is your gateway to Patagonia. Most of your excursions are going to involve wildlife and a visit to Peninsula Valdes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As your bus traverses through the wilderness watch for Peluda (armadillo), Guanaco (similar to a llama), Mara, Halcon Peregrino (Peregrine Falcon), grey fox, and more.

Observe Magellan Penguins at the nature reserve, plus Southern Sea Lions and Elephant Seal from the cliffs of Puerto Piramides. If you time it right you will be treated to viewing mothers and calves.

You can expect there to be many water-based excursions. As you can imagine, many of these are weather-dependent. However, they offer a chance to catch a glimpse of Orca, Right Whales, and dolphins.

Do get off the ship in Ushuaia. This was my favorite port of call. I recall waking up in port and seeing the city on the mountainside from the water. It was still dark, lights twinkled and there was something magical about it.

Ushuaia has a charming and bustling downtown (I imagine when the cruise ships are not in port it is sleepy). But this is the port for the Tierra del Fuego National Park too. The Tierra del Fuego straddles Argentina and Chile. It has some of the most pristine wilderness imaginable. You will want to have your picture taken at the “End of the World.”

Punta Arenas, Chile

Though Punta Arenas, located at the southernmost tip of Chile’s Patagonia region, was established as a penal colony in 1848, it has significant maritime importance.

The city is located on the Brunswick Peninsula north of the Strait of Magellan connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Through the 1800 Punta Arenas grew in significance due to maritime travel and commerce. During the late 1800s, the city grew as a result of waves of Croatian and Russian immigrants. These settlers were attracted by the gold rush and sheep farming. Because of its logistic importance, Punta Arenas retains geopolitical importance to this day.

Punta Arenas is the gateway to Antarctica for many voyages there.

Valparaiso, Chile

Valparaiso was the termination point for our cruise. However, we were not finished with South America yet. We stayed for 4 days in Valpo.

Valparaiso is a picturesque port city with colorful houses perched upon its hills. At street level, graffiti art adorns the cityscape.

Valparaiso is known for its prolific street art scene. That was our main reason for staying. But in addition to its plethora of street art, the city is where poet and writer Pablo Neruda called home (La Sebastiana). Outside the city, you will find beautiful beaches and several vineyards.

A South American cruise around the Horn is a wonderful way to celebrate a special occasion. It offers so much variety of places to see and a nice balance of at-sea and port days. A South American cruise is sure to please.

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22 Responses

I signed up for the packing list but haven’t received a link to it. We leave next week for a 32 day cruise from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles. Packing is a little overwhelming. Thank you for all your information

Hi Cindy, According to my records you should have recieved it. I sent you an email.

Thanks for such an informative guide. Could you send me your packing list please.

Our cruise starts with hotel stay in Buenos Aries and then 2 nights at Iguazu falls before joining the ship. Have you any info regarding Iguazu falls? I am from the UK and go in Feb.

Many thanks!

Hi Cathy, Sorry about the packing list. Sometime the automation glitches. I will make sure you get it. As for Iguazu Falls, I have not been. I have friends that have been there and it seems amazing. I probably need to move it further up my bucket list. Enjoy your time in South America.

Please send me your packing list. Thanks!

I am not sure how to sign up for the packing list. Where would I find the link? Thanks.

I just emailed you the link. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I would like your packing list for down around the horn cruise. I am leaving 2/23/23. Would like weather info for days at sea. Viking cruise specialists offer no help.

Suzanne, I went in and reviewed my email list. I see that you signed up to receive the packing list. You should have received an email with the link. I am going to send you a separate email and manually add the link. Hopefully, that gets it resolved. If not reply to that email and I will figure something else out.

Could you send me your packing list? Thank you so much!

We’re traveling around the horn in November with Viking. I hadn’t heard anything about the Hepatitis A requirement. Did you find that to be the case?

I had already been vaccinated for it years before taking my trip so it never came up for me.

Thank you so much for this post. I have been on a gazillion cruises and traveled the world (91 countries and counting), but I had no idea what to take on our upcoming January cruise. I only do carry-on and brag that I can pack for three days or three weeks in one bag. However, I just didn\’t know what kinds of clothes to pack. This was very helpful.

I\’m glad it was helpful. Enjoy your cruise!

We are sailing in Patagonia soon and this article was quite helpful. Signed up for the packing list, but the link I received didn\’t work. Says \”file not found\”. Thanks!

I\’m sorry this happened. I\’ve sent you an email with a new link. Let me know if there are any issues with that one.

Could you send me a packing list? Ill be leaving for a December cruise around the Horn. Loved your article

Sending you an email

Thank you for all the information you provided about each stop and what the voyage was like around Cape Horn. I would never have thought to bring winter clothing for the fjords. I live in AZ so I hope I have winter clothes. I also never thought about getting all the injections listed. Some I already have, but I know I don\’t have all of them. I am getting very excited about my trip, but it won\’t happen until 2023. I am still not sure when the best time is to take the trip, January or February. I was thinking perhaps the second half of Jan. since that is the middle month of their winter. Perhaps there won\’t be as much fluxuation of weather. Your info was GREAT!

Louise, Thank you for your comment. I\’m glad you found the article helpful. I think the idea that you would need winter clothes when visiting a place during (their) summer is counterintuitive. But like going to Alaska in the summer you probably wouldn\’t pack shorts and your swimsuit. If you don\’t have much in terms of winter clothes you can probably get by with several long sleeve shirts that you can layer along with a jacket or sweatshirt. Don\’t forget gloves and a hat. Enjoy your trip!!

please send me a link for the packing list. Thanks so much

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I just emailed you the packing list. I hope you find it useful.

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Sailing Around South America (Cape Horn), Dangers, Distances, and Myths

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During our planning to sail around the world, we realized how incredibly expensive it is to pass through the Panama Canal; no big deal, we thought, we would just go around South America; it would give us more adventure for the money. We quickly found out that traveling around the southern tip of America is not a simple feat. Sailing the Cape Horn (southern tip of South America) is both dangerous and exciting, with many comparing it to climbing Mount Everest. 

It takes around 65 days or more to motor sail around South America, including stops at ports. You would travel about 15,987 nautical miles (29,608 km) and undergo the adventure of a lifetime with many stories to tell. 

There are also numerous health benefits that come along with sailing around the world, such as agility and motor skills. The remaining article will dive deep and explore the many reasons why people choose to sail around South America, what the benefits are, how long it takes, and explain what supplies you may need and the costs of sailing South America. 

Table of Contents

How Long Does It Take To Sail Around South America?

Sailing around South America, (from the west side of the Panama Canal to the east side, rounding Cape Horn) will take you around 44 days if sailing at 7.5kts, the trip is 8037nm and very difficult. This excludes any stops for sleep and repairs.

Most sailors also sail during the night so the added time will mainly come from escaping bad weather and taking time on land to recover and prepare the crew for the next stage.

How Long Does It Take To Sail Around South America on a Motor/Cruiseship?

If you travel on a motor ship the amount of time it would take to sail around South America can average anywhere between 22 to 65 days. This may depend on the weather, how many stops you make, and how much fuel you are willing to burn in return for higher speeds. 

Modern motor ships will cruise at around 20kts, more than doubling the speed of your average sailboat.

Why Sail Around South America?

Many people choose to sail around South America because they are interested in adventure. Because the waters surrounding this area are so fierce, it is sometimes called the Mount Everest of the ocean . 

You may wish to sail around South America because the sights are stunning, and the adventure and stories you come home with are something that you may never experience again. Several people choose to sail these waters because of races or other competitions. 

Many sailors died trying to face the raging winds and storms through Cape Horn. The areas heading towards the coastlines may be easier on boats and sailors, but once you reach the tip known as the “end of the world,” you will be faced with more challenging waters. 

The cost, accessibility, and experience required are all based solely on your freedom of choice and what you want to accomplish by sailing into Cape Horn. 

The Clockwise Route Around Cape Horn

There are a few different routes you could take to sail around South America, but the first decision to make is whether you’re going clockwise (starting on the Caribbean side) or counterclockwise (starting on the pacific side). Let’s discuss the differences.

While Cape Horn is a hazardous area, a clockwise route is recommended by many sailors (due to prevailing winds) to mitigate the risks. This approach usually means:

• Heading upwind and upcurrent from the Caribbean until the eastern tip of Brazil.
• Reaching from Brazil to Beagle channel.
• Upwind into strong winds through the Beagle Channel until Southern Pacific.
• Exiting the Channel and continuing north with favorable winds.

Each route has its dangers and its benefits, both ways are brutal on your boat and your crew. 

The Counter Clockwise Route Around Cape Horn

If you decide on going counterclockwise, maybe because you already are on the west side, then this is what you will probably experience:

• Upwind and probably motoring most of the way , the west coast of South America is beautiful but the last 100 miles or so can be very demanding as the weather starts getting colder and harsher. Take a look at the picture of the prevailing winds and you will understand why.

The Offshore Alternative Heading Counter Clockwise

If you are comfortable with long offshore passages and don’t mind visiting French Polynesia, then there is an option for you. This option includes many many more miles (you are basically heading for Australia and turning south before you get there) but it does offer some great benefits!

• From Panama to the Marquesas will mainly be with the wind in your back, which is very comfortable if you’re on a catamaran.
• Marquesas to Gambier Islands , same here, still downwind, and the Pacific is called Pacific for a reason.
• Gambier Islands to Puerto Montt, Chile now you have moved enough south to be able to use the trade winds going east, so once again, wind in your back.
• From Puerto Montt it is not far to the Beagle Channel entry, once inside the channel you don’t have many other options adn sailing should be a breeze.
• After exiting the channel, head east to the Falklands, then north east to St Helena and last stop Antigua in the Caribbean.

Starzinger, a very experienced sailor and active cruisers forum member, shares his experiences with this alternative:

” If you are up to or even enjoy pretty long ocean passages, the easiest way is actually counter clockwise “ Estarzinger

Some sailors want to spend months or even over a year away from home and in the ocean.  

However, many sailors enjoy a coastal experience rather than heading out into open waters. It depends on your sailing goals and what type of adventure you seek. 

The amount of time you spend depends on what type of adventure you want. If you have the time, money, and want to experience different side plans, or if you simply want to spend time on the open sea. 

Is Sailing Around South America Worth It?

It may be worth sailing around South America if you seek adventure, have many years of experience in sailing, have the correct equipment, and have the money and time to set sail during the best time of year. Sailing around Cape Horn is not cheaper than going through the canal if accounting for, repairs, fuel, port fees, etc.

Sailing around South America is a difficult journey, and many experienced sailors would recommend using a clockwise route to travel with the wind in your back. However, traveling along coastal lines could be beneficial when it comes to getting help if something goes wrong.

The closer you are to shore, the easier it would be to get help if needed. These waters are well known to sailors as being very difficult to maneuver. 

The crushing waves and intense storms make this area difficult even for experienced skippers. 

If this is a part of a greater circumnavigation then I suggest you also prepare by reading another article a wrote called How to sail around the world . I also have a list of catamarans suitable for liveaboards and offshore sailing .

When Should You Sail Around South America?

The best time to sail around South America is December through February . You may experience average temperatures in the daytime of 80°F (26.7°C). But when you travel through Chile, you may experience temperatures in the low 50s and 60s°F (10 and 15°C). The winds are better in the winter but the southern part could be icier than optimal.

As your boat sails through to the Southern tip of South America, the temperatures will get colder, but the waves and waters will be more still. While the waters might be calmer, Cape Horn is where different weather patterns meet, and storms will come unexpectedly. 

Comparing Motorships, Monohulls and Catamarans

Sailing is a more personal experience than a cruise ship or any other motorboat experience. When you sail, you use nature to guide you to where you want to go. 

A sailing catamaran boat is best for longer voyages such as sailing around South America. You would have more space for living than an average sailboat or motorboat. 

Read this article to find some examples of good catamarans for sailing around the world .

However, the best boat for you depends on how long you will be at sea and how long you plan to travel. 

If you are concerned about cost, sailing is cheaper than motor ships. You do not need much fuel to run a sailboat, and if you are sailing for months at a time, this might be the best bet for you and your circumstances. 

Here is an article I wrote on How much it costs to live on a sailboat , it’s way more than you think!

How Much Faster Is It To Sail Around South America Than Going Through the Panama Canal?

If you decide to sail around the world, you may take the Panama Canal, which is much safer and faster than going down to the end of the world. If you seek a less adventurous and safer experience, taking the Panama Canal would be much better for you. 

It is not faster to sail around South America than through the Panama Canal. Actually, it is faster to use the Panama Canal, as you will shorten the voyage by around 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 km) if you are sailing through the canal. 

It is also much less dangerous because you don’t have to round Cape Horn, one of the most hazardous Capes in the world. 

The length of the Panama Canal is about 40 miles (64 km) and about 50 miles (80 km) from deeper waters. You can still experience a wide range of scenery and oceanic adventures while staying safe.

The only real reason you would need to go around Cape Horn is racing or traveling with a veteran sailor who knows precisely what they are doing. 

How Much Cheaper Is It To Sail Around South America Than the Panama Canal?

Sailing is sometimes costly and may be expensive depending on where you go and what you do. Besides the supplies you should bring on a long sailing trip, you will also have to spend money on entry fees if you decide to sail through the Panama Canal. 

It will cost you more to sail around South America than through the Panama Canal. Sailing through the Canal will cost you somewhere between $800 to $3,200 depending on the size of your boat. There may even be other fees depending on what you bring along with you. But avoiding the canal adds the cost of 43 days of food, fuel, etc.

Because this area is so heavily regulated, you will need to be open and honest with what you are doing, where you are planning to go, and what you are bringing along with you. Fees are expensive, but they may be worth the price if you are concerned about safety. 

Danger vs. Expense

Sailing through Cape Horn is dangerous due to the rough seas. You could end up at the bottom of the sea rather than at your destination. But cruising through the Panama Canal is expensive for what you get, so it is up to you whether or not the price is worth the safety.

It should also be mentioned that the Panama Canal is not without risks, more on that here .

If you plan on a long cruise without much intervention from official regulations and are also seeking the adventure of a lifetime, then going around Cape Horn may be right for you. Be diligent and aware of the dangers when sailing through the area. 

What Supplies Are Necessary To Sail Around South America?

If you decide that sailing around South America is what you long for as a sailing adventurer, and you’re ready to begin planning your ocean voyage, there are some supplies you should consider before venturing out into open waters. 

To sail around South America, you will need a bluewater sailboat , the money to travel, the correct paperwork, and training such as mental and safety. You will also need the right equipment, such as a satellite phone and autopilot. Finally, the boat should be set up for singlehanded sailing . 

Once you have gotten the supplies you need, you should be aware of the dangers associated with Cape Horn. The area is remote, and many choose to sail through the Panama Canal instead of Cape Horn because it is safer, although more costly. 

Is Sailing Around South America Dangerous?

For adventure sailers, the idea of sailing around South America is considered one of the most challenging areas to sail. There are routes that sailors can take to experience less treacherous waters, but Cape Horn is one of the most complex and dangerous Capes to sail. 

South America is one of the most dangerous routes to take when sailing. The waters are treacherous, and people lose their lives each year during races and adventure sailing in these risky waters. 

These waters are no easy feat for even the most experienced sailor and should be considered dangerous and unpredictable. The waves are enormous, and the weather is challenging to plan around. 

Cape Horn in Southern Chile is also sometimes referred to as “the end of the world,” as it is the point where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. Low-pressure systems race across the sea, creating hazardous wind gusts known as Williwaw winds . 

These strong gusts are random and happen suddenly and unpredictably. Because of this, Cape Horn is one of the most dangerous adventures that sailors would take. 

If you decide that sailing South America is on your bucket list and something you have your heart set on, you should be prepared and ready to take on intense storms, large waves, and unpredictable sailing. 

Pick the correct route and apply safety measures the best you can. 

South America is gorgeous and brings many sailors to its waters because of the adventure it can offer. With these adventures come excitement but also danger. Be sure you have the experience and know-how to travel these dangerous waters before you set sail into the open sea. 

Owner of CatamaranFreedom.com. A minimalist that has lived in a caravan in Sweden, 35ft Monohull in the Bahamas, and right now in his self-built Van. He just started the next adventure, to circumnavigate the world on a Catamaran!

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Sailing Around Cape Horn – Your Options & Experienced GUIDE

There are trips that anyone can do in the sailing world, and then there are trips that only adventure-seekers want even to try. Hopping from Florida down to the Caribbean? Hundreds of boats do it every year. Crossing the Pacific Ocean from Central America to French Polynesia? Dozens of boats make the 20-plus day passage annually.

These trips, often made downwind in temperate climates, are commonly called “milk runs.” Far fewer sailors dream of high-latitude sailing. When you stray too far from equatorial waters, weather systems start getting more intense, and the level of discomfort goes up dramatically.

And then there are the world’s famous capes. A cape is a point of land that sticks out into the water. On the southern tip of Africa, there is the Cape of Good Hope. And mirroring it on the other side of the Atlantic is Cape Horn–sometimes called the “sailor’s graveyard.”

Table of Contents

What and where is cape horn, why is cape horn famous, history of the clipper routes, modern use of cape horn, straight of magellan, panama canal – skip south america, to round cape horn – dangerous or doable, faqs – questions about sailing around cape horn.

Cape Horn lies on the southernmost point of South America. The actual point of land is on Isla Hornos, the southern island of Tierra del Fuego in Chile.

The point of Cape Horn lies at 56 degrees south latitude, much farther south than the Cape of Good Hope. In fact, it is the southernmost landmass in the world outside of Antarctica. And speaking of the southern continent, only the narrow Drake Passage separates Cape Horn from the Antarctic Peninsula.

The area is probably the most hazardous region for ships and sailing in the entire world. Just like anywhere else, you can travel safely if you proceed with an abundance of caution. But for the unwary, hazards abound.

For one thing, at those latitudes, the winds howl. Wind speeds commonly top 60 knots, something that only occurs during the worst of storms in other areas. In addition, those strong winds build up massive waves and ocean swell, all of which meet in the constricted space between South America and Antarctica.

One thing about capes is that they often amplify weather. The landmass acts as a venturi, funneling winds and making them strong. Ocean currents often accelerate, meet, and divide here as well. The whole thing is a cauldron for unpleasant and challenging sailing conditions.

Its proximity to Antarctica also means that icebergs are a possibility. And the extreme southern latitude, of course, means that temperatures are cold, and the amount of daylight is limited even in the summer.

The Chilean Navy operates a small rescue station on Hoorn Island, including a lighthouse and a chapel. There’s also a memorial on the island to the sailors who have died attempting the passage around “The Horn.” It was erected in 1992. Ironically, it toppled in high winds in 2014 and had to be repaired.

Before the Panama Canal was created, The Horn was a vital shipping lane. It was the only way from Europe around the Americas and into the Pacific. Once around, ships could sail back north to safer latitudes and continue onto the west coast of the Americas, Oceania, and Asia.

The first people to round The Horn were Willem Schouten, a Dutchman, and Jacob Le Maire, a Belgian. They named it Kaap Hoorn after a city in the Netherlands. That was back in 1616.

The Panama Canal did not open to traffic until August of 1914. So for the 300 years before that, all ships had to round Cape Horn. The “clipper ships” specialized in making that passage as quickly as possible from New York to San Francisco in America. Before the railroads connected the two coasts, this was economically the easiest way to move large cargo.

The clipper routes were necessary for the entire world, however. Clipper ships were designed to move quickly between Europe and the Far East. The strong winds that make Cape Horn so dangerous also made for swift passages.

Outbound from Europe, ships would head south down the Atlantic Ocean and keep Africa on their port (left) side. Then, they would continue south into the Roaring Forties, where they would arrive about 43 days after leaving England.

Once there, the ship was in the Southern Ocean and could effectively sail anywhere around the globe. For example, in the mid-1800s, fast clippers used this route to sail from England to Australia in about 100 days.

To get home, ships would call on New Zealand and then continue heading eastbound with the prevailing winds in the Roaring Forties. Finally, by keeping Cape Horn to port, they would sail northbound in the Atlantic and return to England.

Joshua Slocum was the first to round Cape Horn solo during his 1895 circumnavigation in his small sloop Spray. That famous journey has inspired sailors for generations and is detailed in Slocum’s novel, Sailing Around the World Alone.

What is interesting about Slocum’s voyage is that he rounded The Horn going from east to west. His goal was not a speedy passage in the hazardous Roaring Forties but rather a personal journey of travel and experiences. His small oyster boat was not built for the rigors of those latitudes, anyway.

Slocum’s experience at Cape Horn is telling—firstly, he transited the Straight of Magellan instead of the narrow Drake Passage. What’s more, he wound up waylaid and stuck in Chile for more than 40 days due to rough weather and an unrelenting storm.

Rounding the Cape is reserved for the adventurous souls among us, just like straying into the Roaring Forties is. Today, it is reserved for adventure or endurance racers and those looking to mark a place in a record book. While the huge clipper ships of the 1800s needed the winds and the extra space to maneuver that the Drake Passage offered, today’s powered ships and small sailboats usually prefer the Straight of Magellan.

If you’re heading around Cape Horn from east to west, getting in the middle of the Drake Passage against the prevailing winds and currents is probably not the best plan. But, luckily for sailors, there is another way.

Like Slocum, you can head through the Straight of Magellan. The route crosses through southern Chile and the islands of Tierra del Feugo. Ferdinand Magellan discovered it in 1520.

It still isn’t an easy route. It’s a narrow passage with shallow areas, strong winds, and currents. These days, modern ships must take on a pilot to navigate the route. Still, compared to the Drake Passage south of Cape Horn, the Straight of Magellan is the safer choice.

Shipping around Cape Horn was significantly reduced when the Panama Canal was built. Even with canal fees, the time and cost saved by not having to round South America are immense. It also is a much safer route.

The canal isn’t just reserved for commercial shipping. It’s used by hundreds of private boats every year, and it is now the favorite route for circumnavigators. The canal allows you to transit east or westbound, and while doing so is expensive, it is relatively safe and only takes a few days.

Despite its southerly latitude and many hazards, the Drake Passage and Tierra del Fuego are no different from any other cruising area. We live in a time of incredibly accurate weather forecasts. As a result, we have advantages that the sailors of yesteryear, be they 200-plus foot clipper ships or Slocum in 34-foot Spray, never had.

Take, for example, the tale of Lin and Larry Pardy who rounded Cape Horn . The pair experienced winds light enough to fly their nylon drifter sail, ghosting over flat calm water. But they also experienced days of beating into gale-force winds, biting cold, and snow flurries, and hail storms before they got there and after they left. The trip was far from uneventful, as Lin shared their experiences in an article for Cruising World.

Is it safe to sail around Cape Horn?

Sailing around Cape Horn is often noted as the yachting equivalent to climbing Mount Everest. Is it safe? Of course, it can be accomplished safely by a well-founded boat with an experienced and careful crew.

But sailing around Cape Horn is not for the faint of heart. The Cape has a deservedly fierce reputation. For more than a quarter of the time, winds blow between Force 8 and 12. Plus, strong currents plague the area, as do shoals and dangerous large waves. Icebergs, currents, and shoal waters are also hazards along the way.

Why is it so hard to sail around Cape Horn?

Cape Horn, at the southern tip of South America, is the southernmost Cape. It lies very close to Antarctica, and as such, it experiences some really nasty weather. Gale and storm-force winds are prevalent and are made worse by storms rolling down the Andes mountains. The area also experiences strong adverse currents, making slow passages for boats rounding.

Even if you pick a time of good weather, passage around The Horn should never be attempted by anything less than a well-founded boat with a well-trained and experienced crew.

How hard is it to sail around Cape Horn?

Rounding The Horn is likely one of the most challenging areas to sail in the world. Seemingly, everything is against the sailor of a small vessel. The weather is bitterly cold, daylight hours are limited even in the summer months, winds blow constant gales that can last weeks, and the weather is unpredictable and erratic.

Like climbing Everest or crossing the Pacific, rounding The Horn is not something a sailor does without a lot of preparation. Years of study and research go into the journey—maybe even just into the decision to make the journey at all.

How long does it take to sail around the Cape Horn?

Sailing around Cape Horn is all about the weather. But even in good weather, the trip is challenging and full of unknowable variables.

Currents and winds favor an eastbound rounding. Many sailors, however, round Cape Horn on their way westbound across the Pacific. If this is the case, an alternate route is available through the Straight of Magellan. It is slightly shorter and safer for modern vessels than striking out through the Drake Passage.

Like any grand adventure, the trip is made in stages. An entire journey around South America might take as much as a year. However, the actual rounding of the Cape, which is a single point on the journey, won’t take but a few hours.

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

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It’s at the meeting point between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that you enter Chilean Patagonia where you head for the Tierra del Fuego archipelago and its famous Cape Horn. From the top of its impressive 425-metre high cliff, South America’s southernmost tip has, for many centuries, seen merchant ships from the world over passing by. Because of its legendary storms and rough seas, getting round this cape has gone down in history as a challenge for all seafarers.

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Cape Horn and Drake Passage

Thanks to its location—on one of the southernmost points in South America—Cape Horn has played a major role in navigational history. The Strait of Magellan to the north was discovered first, but that route’s narrow width was challenging to navigate. Cape Horn, discovered by the Dutch in 1615, became the primary route for trade ships traveling from Europe or the east side of the Americas to the American West Coast.  Cape Horn marks the entrance to the Drake Passage, where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet. Until the Panama Canal opened in 1914, this was one of the planet’s major shipping routes. Strong winds, currents, waves and icebergs made the passage fairly treacherous in the days of sailing ships. Even today, “rounding the Horn” remains a challenge for the many yacht races that pass through its icy waters. Hornos, the island where Cape Horn is located, may look desolate and treeless, but it’s home to a vast number of gulls and other seabirds.

Around Cape Horn – the ultimate adventure for sailors!

A unique opportunity to sail around the infamous Cape Horn on board one of the biggest and fastest tall ships in the world! A part of The One Ocean Expedition, Statsraad Lehmkuhl´s circumnavigation of the globe 2021- 2023.

Sailing around «The Horn» is one of the greatest challenges for adventurous sailors. Like an ascent of Mount Everest, sailing around Cape Horn earns you a place amongst the elite, and with good reason. As a trainee on board one of the biggest and fastest tall ships in the world, you´ll be one of the very few who have rounded The Horn – on any sailing ship!

Cape Horn is a headland located in the southernmost archipelago of Tierra del Fuego in southern Chile, and marks where the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean meet. The seas are considered to be especially challenging, due to strong winds and currents, the possibility of icebergs and – more often than not – rough seas.

The voyage with the tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl takes you through seas defied by daring Dutch sea commanders in the 17th century and followed by thousands of sailing ships in the two centuries that followed. It is an ocean voyage for true sailors and adventurers who get a lift from wild seas and raw nature.

Sailing route

We start the 6-day voyage from Ushaia, the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego, generally considered to be the most southerly city on Earth. We´ll travel in sheltered waters through the Beagle Channel, either via the northern passage ending in Darwin Sound, or the southern passage ending at Cook’s Bay, both of which offer beautiful landscapes which leaves a dramatic visual impact upon it´s visitors. Depending on the weather conditions and the chosen route, we´ll spend one to three days to get to the open sea.

After reaching the open sea, we´ll have time to practice sailing maneuvers and assess the weather conditions. We´ll sail from west to east and can therefore expect favorable winds when rounding Cape Horn. We´ll sail in the open sea for two to three days, before returning to sheltered waters for the last 24 hours of our journey.

A ship built for sailing on the high seas

Statsraad Lehmkuhl was built in Germany in 1914 and is one of the biggest and best kept sailing tall ships in the world. She is built for sailing on the high seas, and due to her massive size and traditional sailing ship lines is renowned as a very good seafaring vessel.

Visit Cape Horn to soak up the mystique that goes with this historic place.

Like an ascent of Mount Everest, sailing around Cape Horn earns you a place amongst the elite and with good reason. Often wreathed in fog and smashed by towering seas, the southern-most headland of Cape Horn Island marks where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans collide.

Consider that prevailing conditions feature 200 days of gale, waves that rise more than 20 metres and the odd iceberg and you begin to understand the pride of “Cape Horners”.

Our voyage spans a minimum of six days with safe anchorages each evening. Starting in Ushuaia in Argentina, we sail down the Beagle Channel and turn south around Isla Navarino to Isla Herschel where we wait for the best conditions to attempt to round the Horn.

Australis provides the perfect viewing platform for a sea rich in fur seals, porpoises and whales and the graceful, mesmerising flight of the black-browed and wandering albatross.

We explore the rugged beauty of the islands, from stony beaches to sphagnum bogs and hike into the silent beauty of Antarctic beech forests that become more stunted the higher we climb.

If conditions allow, we land on Isla Hornos to visit the Chilean naval station and admire the magnificent albatross sculpture, a memorial to the many mariners seduced by Cape Horn.

Up for a challenge and rewarding experience? Contact us today to find out more.

Thank you again for a great experience and professional service.

A huge THANK YOU to you Ben. You were a superb skipper and enjoyed not only working with you but your company. I would love to do future projects with you.

Stunning, amazing, incredible, extraordinary experiences that had me bursting with excitement at every adventure encountered. My thanks to the awesome team who made this journey so unbelievably fantastic and looked after us beyond expectation.

Thank you for all you did to make The Bachelor King a success.

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Cruising Around Cape Horn in South America – Episode 460

Hear about cruising from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Valparaiso, Chile around Cape Horn in South America as the Amateur Traveler relates stories of a recent Holland America cruise on the Zaandam.

We look at the ports of call of this particular cruise: Buenos Aires (Argentina), Montevideo (Uruguay), Stanley (Falklands), Punta Arenas (Chile), Ushuaia (Argentina), Puerto Montt (Chile), and Valparaiso (Chile). We also look at some of the scenic cruising in waterways like the Straits of Magellan, The Beagle Channel with Glacier Alley, the Fjords of Chile as well as sailing around Cape Horn.

We saw tango, penguins, glaciers, volcanoes, beaches, street art, cemeteries, buskers, barbecue, wine, and llamas. This cruise provides some of the scenic beauty of an Alaskan cruise but with added bonus of the flavor of South America.

We also look at what there is to do on a cruise ship during a day at sea and talk about some things you should know about cruising on the Zaandam or any cruise ship. Come with us as we follow in the path of explorers.

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Amateur traveler episode 460. Today the amateur traveler talks about glaciers and fjords and also tango as we talk about a cruise from Buenos Aries, Argentina to Santiago, Chile around Cape Horn.

This episode of Amateur Traveler is sponsored by DK Eyewitness Travel Guides . These colorful guidebooks are filled with great information and are one of my favorite guidebooks. I have 25 of them right here on my bookshelf. Learn more at DK.com.

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Welcome to the Amateur Traveler. I’m your host Chris Christensen. No interview today, but instead we’ll be talking about this cruise that I just got back from which was on Holland America and full and fair disclosure, Holland America did pay for my cruise as well as the flights down there but not for that of my wife as well as for our two traveling companions Kevin and Susan who we have often traveled with who came with us.

I want to break down this episode into three parts. One we’re going to talk about some of the advantages of cruising and then two, we’re going to talk about some of the destinations specifically that we went to and the things that we did. And then three, we’re going to talk about the ship and the cruise experience especially this particular cruise. Because we haven’t talked about cruises for a while on Amateur Traveler. And I know some of you are huge cruise fans and some of you probably couldn’t be caught dead on a cruise ship.

Advantages of Cruising

I think there are three main reasons why people cruise and this cruise exemplified some of that. One is the advantage of going someplace, unpacking once, and not having to re-pack and move hotel rooms and the general convenience and ease of cruising. It is certainly an easy way to travel. And two, is that class of service to which I’d like to become accustomed. And we’ll talk more about that later on. And some of the particular service on this cruise.

And three, this cruise is one of those cruises that there isn’t an alternative if you want to see these sites. If you want to go around Cape Horn, if you want to see some of the fjords of Chile, or you want to see the glaciers of Glacier Alley and the straits of Magellan that is a boat experience. That is something you have to get on a boat and see. And to see some of these, really a cruise ship is your option, similar to going up the inland passage on the way to Alaska. That there isn’t a car or bus experience that’s going to be equivalent.

Buenos Aries, Argentina

This cruise has all three of those elements. As I mentioned, we started in Buenos Aries, Argentina. We actually flew in three days early to see Buenos Aries because we had never been– Actually I’ve never been down to South America until this. We’ve talked about Buenos Aries in detail on this show before as well as the other destinations: Uruguay, the Falklands, and Chile. So I’m not going to get into quite the same detail, but I did want to mention a few things that we did on those three days ahead of time because I would recommend especially if you’ve never been to Buenos Aries, coming in early.

We stayed up in the Palermo and we had a hotel that was provided for us by Buenos Aries Tourism. A very nice boutique hotel and there’s a review of the Hotel Vitrum on the website. We ate beef at a local restaurant just the way you’re supposed to. It was one of our cheapest and best meals of the vacation and that’s mentioned in the hotel review on the website.

The two things, though, that stand out for me with Buenos Aries is I think about our experiences there. One is I think of the music. I think of both Theater Colon that we went to which is the national opera house which is just a gorgeous theater. Definitely worth a visit. And I was very glad we did the tour of that which was arranged through Buenos Aries Tourism. Just a beautiful very classical theater. But I also think of being on the subway. We took the subway around a lot– and also taxis. Both of which are very inexpensive. The subway being very inexpensive. I think 50 cents a ride or something like that. And just street musicians that were entertaining us as we were riding through the city.

[street musicians playing]

But I also think of– We were there for holidays. We were there for Mardi Gras. Not that we saw a lot of Mardi Gras celebrations, but people had a lot of time off so we saw the city in a more relaxed pace. Buenos Aries can be a little kinetic. But we did plan to be on a Sunday down in San Telmo. And Sundays in San Telmo there’s a market in the plaza as well as people practicing their tango dances. Some tango instructors showing members of the crowd how to do tango.

[Tango music playing]

And then as we walked up a very long street market that headed up north from San Telmo, there were street performers just every few feet playing a variety of music. And so, I have this memory of Buenos Aries as a very musical city, but I also have this memory of Buenos Aries as a very colorful city. Now some of you have seen pictures of La Boca, which is this very colorful neighborhood. The old port neighborhood where one building may not even be painted all the same color in this very traditional fashion.

But we also had a chance again through Buenos Aries Tourism to go through a graffiti tour. And this was the Graffiti Mundo tour and I highly recommend this tour. I have a new-found love over the last couple of years of street art. Now, not of graffiti. Not of tagging. Of just putting your initials on somebody’s building. That still to me just looks like vandalism. But when it turns into just whole murals being painted on someone’s building, preferably with their permission, there’s some wonderful street art there and this tour took us to see some of it including some neighborhoods where they wouldn’t let us get out of the van because they didn’t think it quite as safe. So we probably wouldn’t have seen that.

Also, art we wouldn’t have found but then told us the story of street art. And told us the story of street art in Buenos Aries as it relates to the relatively new democracy in Buenos Aries. As well as to some of the old political roots. So I’ve got an article on the website that talks about that experience so check that out.

We boarded the cruise, as a I said, in Buenos Aries. The first day was a day in port. So the first night and the second night we spent both in Buenos Aries. And that is something that has happening more commonly on some cruise ships so take a look at that on your itinerary. And that’s so you can have a chance to actually see the city so we went back in and we did not do a short excursion that day. We just hopped off and explored on our own. Of course we were very comfortable with the city by that point. Went to the cemetery where Evita is buried for instance.

We also did a day trip the day before to Colonia del Sacramento, which is a UNESCO world heritage site across the river in Uruguay. Which is beautiful although I would not say spectacular. But quite enjoyable. Our second stop, our second port of call was Montevideo in Uruguay. Or Uruguay. And we did not do a shore excursion that day and I think that I would recommend that you do. We took mature excursions.

When you book a cruise, my rule of thumb is that for 50% to 100%, of what you pay for the cruise, expect to pay that for shore excursions. It’s going to depend a lot on which ones you choose. There were some shore excursions on this cruise that we did not do because they were, to us, prohibitively expensive. But don’t go on a cruise where your entire budget is that line item that you see advertised for the cruise. Save some money for the shore excursions because I think you’ll get a better experience. Whether you do them through the ship or not and we’ll talk about a combination of those.

But we just did the walking tour. There’s a walking tour map that you get. Went down to the old presidential palace and saw the museum there. But afterwards, we heard some of the options that we could have done and I think they sounded better. And we heard that from our table mates at dinner. One of the best choices we made on this particular cruise, we went as I mentioned with a group of four, and we were originally supposed to be at a table of four. But we opted for a table of eight so we could meet other people. and we met some wonderful people that we had a great time with for two weeks.

Gary and Dee from Ireland and Glenn and Margaret from Vancouver. And they had done some, I think some better options that day. Glenn and Margaret had gone off to a winery, one of the wineries of Uruguay and had a good time. And I think Gary and Dee did a private driver and a guided tour. They often arrange things with another couple through the cruise critic discussion boards, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Montevideo. Beautiful city, a little more laid-back than Buenos Aries. But probably not the highlight of the cruise to me. If you’re a fan of meat, and especially of barbecued meats, you definitely want to check out the local market. The central market which is very close to the cruise terminal there and see just a large smoke-filled room with lots of meat grilling. We ate at one of the restaurants near there.

We then had a day at sea. There were quite a few days at sea on this particular cruise some of them being scenic cruising where you’re going through the fjords, but this first one just being out in the open ocean. Some 14,000 feet of water below you. As we headed off to the Falkland Islands.

Falkland Islands

And the Falklands Islands was probably one of my favorite shore excursions. The four couples did two different shore excursions and everyone liked what they did best. We did the bluff cove penguin experience. Which involved getting in a van and riding– going to the end of the road, getting in some land rovers and doing some very rough driving for 15, 20 minutes down to this cove to see penguins. Predominantly Gentoo penguins although it’s also some king penguins. Just a very wonderful experience down there. As we enjoyed the penguins there was some of the young penguins learning to swim as we enjoyed the penguins playing in the surf, too, which is a very strange experience because we’re not in a snowy landscape as I expect to see penguins in.

They had a lovely little cafe there where we had cake and it was a wonderful experience. The other two couples did a more expensive experience, a much more difficult experience because instead of a 20 minute or 15 minutes that we spent in the land rover over bone-jarring terrain, they did like an hour and a half. They were still bruised for a couple of days afterwards, but then they were down in an area where they had more penguins. The more king penguins. And just thoroughly enjoyed that experience as well. So I don’t think there is one right shore excursion option for everyone but I definitely would recommend when you’re in Falklands go out and see the penguins. Wonderful experience there. And we were fortunate that we had a chance to do any shore excursions. If it had been as rough in the morning as it was when we were getting back into the boat in the afternoon the captain told us that we would not have gone ashore.

And that happened on the previous cruise. It certainly can happen in that area and it can happen on any cruise and that’s something you need to be aware of is that weather or other factors can change the ports of call. One of the cruises they had last year they go people on shore but then 500 people got stranded on shore overnight. And the Falklands is not a big area. So they were calling up different families and putting people up in private homes so they could spend the night there and then they went back to the boat in the morning. Just something to be aware of.

Let’s take a break here and talk about our sponsor who is DK Eyewitness Travel Guides . One thing that I didn’t mention when we were talking about the Top 10 Buenos Aries travel guide that we used when we were in Buenos Aries is that in the back of the book there’s also suggested days. And I like that in a guide book. It’s not like I’m going to do that exactly, but it gives me some idea of timing. And so for instance there’s a suggestion for a day in San Telmo and La Boca. Start your day with a strong coffee at San Telmo’s bar Plaza Domingo and then go to this particular theater and then explore the subterranean tunnels and ruins at El Zanjon. Go to this particular plaza, go to this particular park and I like that idea because it gets down to the details of take the number 29 bus from San Telmo and hop off at the end of the line at La Boca. And it gives you a nice suggestion of a day in a particular neighborhood or a day in a particular theme. And it has multiple ones like that in the book. For more information about DK Eyewitness Travel Guides go to DK.com.

Punta Arenas, Chile

Our next port of call was in Chile. It was Punta Arenas, Chile. We did not do a shore excursion on that, although I did talk to someone did one of the more expensive shore excursions on the boat and this is somebody who did the $1,000 per person shore excursion to fly to the national park in Chile Torres del Paine. And that is someplace I would really like to see, but I just made plans that I will see it on another trip rather than paying for that expensive shore excursion. Her thinking was that she would never get back to South America again and so she did this rather expensive shore excursion and loved it. It was the highlight of the cruise for her. And so, it’s just something that you need to make that decision. It wasn’t the most expensive shore excursion. That one I’ll mention later. But we just walked around Punta Arenas. I think we would have been better served doing a shore excursion, but we did enjoy the vendors and the town square as well as a drumming group that was raising money to do a trip.

[Drummers playing]

And we walked to the local cemetery but having done the cemetery in Buenos Aries, it’s not as spectacular. Glenn and Margaret who had done the longer of the two penguin trips in Falklands did yet another penguin trip on this, but it didn’t measure up to the one with the king penguins in the Falklands in their minds so that wasn’t their favorite shore excursion of the ones that they did. But remember this particular cruise is not just about shore excursions. The next day we were sailing in the Straits of Magellan. And that’s one of the reasons that I wanted to do this cruise. And part of the Straits of Magellan is Glacier Alley. There are six glaciers in a row over the course of, oh I’d say half an hour to an hour that you pass by.

We had decent weather that day. It was a little overcast but you’re in Patagonia. And Patagonia certainly can be rainy at any time. Even with this being summer, it felt more like fall as we were down in the Patagonia area. Or in the Tierra del Fuego area. And that’s where we were sailing to. We were sailing that day to Ushuaia, Argentina through the Beagle Channel.

Ushuaia, Argentina

The first thing we noticed about Ushuaia, Argentina is that it is a gorgeous city. At least as you’re looking at it from the port. My wife Joan thought it easily could have been in Switzerland or someplace in Europe as it has these snow-capped mountains and comes right down to the water there. And we had a similar reaction to Tierra del Fuego. We did get a chance to go out into the national park. The Argentinian national park, Tierra del Fuego. We did a shore excursion there that was supposed to be a two-parter. We were supposed to do a bus tour through the national park and then join a boat and sail that back in the Beagle Channel. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate with that. The boat trip got canceled unfortunately for the people who were on the boat there was another group that was sailing on the boat and they were going to do the national park. They ran into rough seas and they had to turn around and go back and didn’t get to see Tierra del Fuego national park.

So again, you have to be a little bit flexible. We did of course get our money back for the second half of the trip that we didn’t get to do. But the national park was gorgeous. It’s a very pretty area down there. Some place I’d like to get back to with a little more time. And I think that’s one of the ways that I look at a cruise too. It’s really more of a sampling. And I wouldn’t really say I have done all of Buenos Aries or done all of Argentina by any means. I think there’s another trip in our future sometime to go down to Buenos Aries and then go to the wine region probably. And then down into Patagonia again. Going down to Torres del Paine, for instance. But this was a great sample for it.

For the next three days, we did scenic cruising. And the first thing that we did was sail around Cape Horn as we came out of Ushuaia. Cape Horn is again in Chile so you go from Argentina to Chile to Argentina and then back to Chile here again on this particular cruise. And Cape Horn, I always thought of as being the southernmost point of the South American continent and it isn’t in the sense that it is an island. You’re actually sailing around a cape on the island of Horn. And the island of Horn being named after a city in the Netherlands by the discoverer who was from that city.

As you’re sailing there, this is an area that is known for rough seas. We didn’t have as rough as they often have it, but still you could hear the sound of the waves and that was just in the pool.

[Waves crashing]

Fjords in Chile

The boat really did start rocking when you left the protected areas of the Beagle Channel. When you left the Straits of Magellan or when you left the fjords in Chile where we were sailing to next. And you got onto the open ocean, you could feel it. You could feel the difference. Now we didn’t get seasick at any time and really nobody from our table who we were interacting with got seasick. But there were certainly a few people who were feeling the motion of the boat. But as I say, for the next couple days we were sailing through the fjords of Chile. Including over one spot where the boat only had about a three-foot clearance beneath it so we had to time that right with the tides. We sailed past a shipwreck. That always gives you some pause and right up to a glacier. and in fact we were there as the glacier was calving. We didn’t catch it on camera but it was still pretty amazing to see.

And I think sailing up to that glacier was probably the prettiest spot that we had on the whole trip. With some exceptions of portions of Buenos Aries which were also very beautiful. But just a really spectacular thing and one of the reasons that I compare this particular cruise to an inland passage cruise in Alaska except that when you’re on shore you’re in international cities and that I think for me is a little more special, but then again I haven’t done the Alaska cruise . I am doing one later this year.

We did have three days in a row at sea and I think that as we thought about doing this cruise one of our biggest hesitations was what to do with all the days at sea. I did a fair amount of work and we’ll talk about in later on, some of the things to do on the ship in the section that looks more on cruising and on this particular cruise.

Porto Monte in Chile

The next port of call that we had was Porto Monte in Chile. And Porto Monte was an interesting place. We did a tour up to the lake region of Porto Monte. We didn’t have the best weather. Again, in Patagonia it is likely that you will see some rain. One of the interesting things about Porto Monte is that there is a large German-speaking community in the area. And so our guide, for instance, was a fifth generation resident of Chile of Porto Monte and yet her family speaks German at home.

And one of the things that happened is they brought in German immigrants. There were German immigrants who were Catholic and there were those who were Lutheran. And the Catholics could attend the local Catholic church and so they assimilated fairly rapidly, but the Protestants or the Lutherans actually didn’t assimilate as much. They stayed more to themselves and so therefore they had maintained a lot of that culture and there’s still German speaking schools and such in Porto Monte.

Porto Monte is a very beautiful area. I wish we had more views of the volcanoes as we went up there into the lake region. There is a volcano there that looks very much like Mt Fuji although we had a little trouble seeing the top the day that we were there because of clouds and rain. I think they said there are 84 volcanoes in Chile that are either active or dormant. So these are not extinct volcanoes, but volcanoes that have erupted sometime relatively recently from a geological point of view. So it has quite a spectacular landscape. And of course it’s a very thin country. It’s only like 100 miles roughly from the sea to the Andes. Oh, one thing that I missed in Ushuaia is that was the place for the most expensive shore excursion you could have done on this trip, and that was a shore excursion from Ushuaia flying down to Antarctica. It was $3,000 per person, we chose not to do it on this particular trip.

Porto Monte was a pretty city. We didn’t get to see that much of the city itself because of the shore excursion we did. I’d love to get back. There’s a number of different artists’ markets and things that would have been fun to see, but we just ran out of time. Just all the more reason to get back to Chile and I would have to say that this trip did really have that impact for me. I don’t think that I need to get back to the Falklands. I think I got the basic idea there even though we enjoyed it. But I would desire especially to get back to Argentina and Chile after having been exposed to them in this little sample that we got through this trip.

Valparaiso, Chile

Glenn and Margaret did a little more adventurous shore excursion that they really enjoyed and that was whitewater rafting in the area. As it turns out on a rainy day that might have been a smarter choice. And then our final port of call was Valparaiso which is the port just near Santiago, Chile. I say “just near,” it’s more than an hour’s drive from the port over to the airport for instance where we were flying out of in Chile. What we did for a shore excursion for Valparaiso, and Valparaiso is a very beautiful city. It has a lot of different colored buildings. It goes up very quickly up the mountains from the ocean right there, from the port. There are funiculars that go up the very steep hills here. It reminds me a little bit of San Francisco. Someone else said Lisbon who had been there.

Colorful city, lots of street art on the walls as well. And the city is also a UNESCO world heritage site. I wish we’d had more time to spend in Chile, either in Valparaiso in the nearby beach city or in the wine region between there and Santiago especially. But what we did is we did a day tour so the eight people from our table, who weren’t sick of each other and were enjoying hanging out rented a van. We rented that for roughly $100 a person and that came with both a driver and a guide for the day. A transfer to the airport, I think directly would have cost about $84 and we would have had hours and hours waiting at the airport and so instead we spent the day driving around Valparaiso as well as going to the city a little further up the bay which is Vina del Mar which is more of a beach city. Valparaiso being more of a working-class neighborhood and Vina del Mar being a little more upscale. Had a nice lunch at the beach.

We were supposed to ride a funicular, but the funicular that we went to get on broke down right when we were there. They’re having a little trouble getting some of them to run. They’re putting some back in service after the earthquake that they had relatively recently. But we got a walking tour of both cities. And then also we picked that we wanted to stop at one of the wineries and so we stopped at one of the wineries in between and did a wine tasting of Chilean wines. And as you’ll hear later on when we talk of the ship, we did a fair amount of wine tasting of Chilean wines and Argentinian wines on this particular trip. And enjoyed both although I have to say I was little more partial to the malbecs and the Argentinian wines.

Cruise Experience

That’s the ports of call and that’s what we, did but let’s talk about the experience. I wanted to talk about some of the things to do on the ship and one of the ways I thought that I’d do that is I would read you a sample schedule that we had from just one of the days I picked at random that gives you some idea what sort of things are going on. And my expectation is not that you will find all of these interesting and I don’t know that there would be anybody who possibly would find all of them interesting. They’re aimed at a diverse set of people. But that maybe you might find something interesting and if not, then you know that if you want to do this cruise you want to bring a few more books.

So I grabbed a particular day which was Saturday February 21st, and this was a day at sea. This was our first day at sea sailing towards Port Stanley. And I know that not all of you will be interested in this list so what I’m going to do is I’m going to sweeten the pot here that I’m going to read the list as Simon the bandonlinan player is playing in the background. And Simon was on the cruise, and he plays the style of music that would be behind a tango dance or Milonga.

[Bandolin music playing]

• Sometime between 7:00 and 10:00 the schedule said we’d be greeted by our cruise director, Linda, who would give us the highlights of the day on the loudspeaker.
• The fitness center had a morning stretch at 7:00 and a pathway to yoga at 9:00 for $12.
• There was a digital workshop at 9:30 on creating movies and slideshows with Movie Maker. The digital workshops were sponsored by Microsoft, so there was using Microsoft technology. At 9:30 there was also a seminar on acupuncture. I did not go to that.
• At 10:00, a shore excursion highlights, telling us a little more about what was going to be happening the next day.
• At 10:00 also a lecture on bridge, that is the card game bridge.
• Also at 10:00 a salon seminar on updating your hairstyle. Didn’t go to that one either. And also a body sculpting boot camp. Should have gone to that, did not.
• At 10:30 there was a behind-the-scenes kitchen tour which Kevin and Susan, our traveling companions did and we had done a similar one on the sister ship the Van Dammes so we didn’t do this one.
• At 10:30, you could learn windows 8.1 basics in the digital workshop.
• At 10:30 also there was a bean bag toss with show host Mike and
• 11:00 something in the culinary arts center on the flavors of South America.
• At 11:00 a health seminar and detox for health and weight loss.
• Also at 11:00 you could learn to dance tango in the lounge. There was a series of dance classes that are associated with Dancing with the Stars and a competition where you could win a chance to come back and compete on a cruise.
• At 11:00 there was a tanzanite seminar at the jewelry design center.
• At 11:00 also the art of collecting art seminar from the on-board art gallery.
• At 11:30 edit your photos like a pro again another digital workshop.
• At 12:00 a ping-pong tournament.
• At 12:00 a mini-organ concert.
• Also at noon a singles and solo meet for lunch.
• At 1:00 the flavors of Zaandam at the culinary arts center.
• At 1:00 p.m. an international beer tasting.
• Also at 1:00 a $10 slot tournament in the casino.
• At 1:30 a team trivia challenge.
• At 1:30 also a $30 no-limit Texas Hold ‘Em tournament.
• At 2:00 they were also playing duplicate bridge.
• At 2:00 a seminar on relieving back pain and good feet.
• At 2:00 p.m. a lecture by location guide Lance on Port Stanley and the Falkland Islands.
• At 2:00 p.m. a navigator wine tasting. Tasting wines from around the world. At 2:30 a ship-building competition design and construct a ship out of everyday items on board. Later on in the cruise there would be sea trials.
• At 2:30 get ready with photo editing. Again in the digital workshop.
• At 3:00 Dancing with the Stars, ballroom basics with the Zaandam dancers.
• At 3:00 South American mixology class.
• Also at 3:00 a seminar acupuncture for pain management.
• At 3:00 a cupcake tea.
• Also 3:00 ask location guide Lance to get ready for your days ashore.
• 3:30 a scavenger hunt with show host Mike.
• 3:30 learn to use your digital camera at the digital workshop.
• 4:00 an LGBT gathering. 4:00 an indoor cycling class for $12.
• Also at 4:30 Friends of Bill W meet.
• 4:30 Techspert time to answer your questions about Windows 8.
• At 5:00 was a vigil mass.
• At 5:00 was the art of collecting art seminar.
• At 5:00 was a core conditioning Pilates class for $12.
• At 5:00 there was the Sip n Savor with the culinary arts center host Jen.
• At 6:00 a sunset stretch. At 6:00 a martini sampling.
• At 7:00 a pub trivia.
• At 7:45 the captain’s welcome toast.
• 8:00 showtime classique which is a show put on by the singers and dancers on board.
• At 9:00 Milonga South American dance incorporating basic elements to tango, so that was a performance in the ocean bar.
• At 9:00 the audience request and sing-a-long with Jeremy.
• At 9:00 also Texas Hold Em’ cash game.
• At 9:00 karaoke power hour with your show host Mike.
• 9:00 $10 blackjack tournament.
• 10:00 showtime classique again, that’s the second showing in the theater.
• 10:30 golden oldies with your show host Mike
• and 11:30 the party continues with your show host Mike.

In addition to that, almost every day there was a solo guitarist Michael Lieber who played at two different times. Adagio, a pianist was playing at a different times classical music. The Neptunes, which were doing ballroom dancing, and a couple of other music groups, too. We did not do all of those activities. We did do some of the martini tasting, we did some of the wine tasting. We did a few of the trivia challenges. We did a number of the evening performances although we don’t tend to be fans of the song and dance style and so we didn’t do all the ones with the Mondrian dancers and such. Although we heard from our table mates that they were some of the best song and dance they’d ever seen on a cruise ship. We did see one of the two comics. We saw the one I think that we would enjoy. I don’t think the other one was quite our cup of tea.

We enjoyed an evening performance on tango. Another one on Celtic music we enjoyed maybe not quite as much. And we did particularly enjoy Michael Lieber who I mentioned who is the solo guitarist. We went to his performance almost every evening and really enjoyed listening to him. A wonderful repertoire of rock, folk, and pop music. So that’s the kind of things we did. Plus I brought work to do and we brought books to read and of course we worked out a lot in the fitness center because there was a lot of food.

Food and Service

Did I mention there’s food on a cruise ship? I made a couple of references to the dining room. We did the traditional seating in the sense where you have either an early or late. We did the late seating. You could also do open dining. That’s something that you’re seeing more and more on cruise ships. I found the food to be very good in the dining room. I enjoyed everything I ordered I believe. Although I was slightly disappointed by the French onion soup. But really being there for two weeks, had a lot of good meals there. The actual serving sizes were very reasonable, but of course, you could always order more than one. The very first dinner we were at Gary, our table mate, ordered six appetizers and no entree. So you really had a lot of flexibility in terms of what you ordered. My wife was a little disappointed with one particular salad and the chef came out of the kitchen to find out what was wrong with the salad.

So there really was a very personal level of service and I don’t know if I’ve mentioned that yet, but it wasn’t just a personable service but especially being there for two weeks we really had a chance to get to know some of the people who were on the crew. Whether it be our table steward Badaruddin, or our cabin steward Edwin. Edwin was from the Philippines, Badaruddin was from Indonesia. About 50% of the crew was from Indonesia. 34% from the Philippines. They did both an evening where the Filipino crew presented some of the songs and dance from the Philippines as well as an evening where the Indonesian crews did the same: songs and dances and even some interesting instruments from Indonesia.

But we were really quite impressed with all of the crew, not only with how they treated us, but also they seemed to treat each other and how they got along. And I think one of the crew members was saying that they really enjoyed the leadership of this particular ship and how they were treated. And I think that comes across in terms of the level of service that you get on something like this. It’s the level of service that we would like to become accustomed to, I would have to say.

I had a chance to sit down with Simon Tanner, who is the hotel director and remember this is a floating hotel at sea. It’s really interesting when you sail into some of the ports like Ushuaia, you couldn’t help noticing that you were on the largest building in town, but you had just sailed it into the harbor. So not just the largest hotel, but also the largest building period. And it was interesting talking to him about the expectations that they’re trying to set on this particular ship. On this particular cruise line, Holland America , they’re targeting being a premium line but not a 5-star line. They’re trying to set appropriate expectations. One of the stories that he told me that was interesting is when he got there he changed the language on the menus because it was very flowery language. Everything was “bathed in a sauce of whatever,” which was very poetic language, but the problem was it didn’t set the expectation correctly for the dinner and they found when they made the language more descriptive and less poetic they actually had higher ratings for how the food was.

The other thing he mentioned was just how much easier it is sometimes on Holland America, on a cruise in the Caribbean for instance where almost 95% of the people will be from the US. And so you’ll have much more consistency in customer expectations then you’d have on a cruise like this where you have people from all over the place. There was quite a few Americans but we were maybe 33% of the passengers on the ship if I had to guess, 40% possibly. But people were also from all over South America and from Europe as well. And you have just different expectations that in the US for instance, good service is “Can I help you? Can I get you something?” It’s very pro-active. While good service in Europe is very hands-off. And so trying to find a delicate balance of what is good service and also even just the expectation of tipping where we in the US are used to tipping and so it’s not a problem for instance that the recommended tip was eleven and a half dollars per person per day. And that seems normal to someone from North America. They have people from other parts of the world who have difficulty with that. An interesting thing running a hotel at sea and then also running a hotel at sea for a very diverse clientele and trying to set the appropriate expectations. But I have to say the level of service really did exceed our expectations.

I think of Leo in the Crow’s Nest bar, I think of the wine steward Rod. We got to know some of these people and know where they were from and had a chance to talk to them and we definitely felt like they were looking out for us.

There is also a library on this ship. We didn’t take a whole lot of advantage of that on this particular thing which has games as well as books as well as computers that you can use for the internet. The internet is still one of those challenges on a ship. The internet is fairly expensive and fairly slow. Fortunately for me, they gave me 500 minutes and of course I can use up 500 minutes in a couple days. But what you found is we went on a shore excursion for instance in Porto Monte and the restaurant had WiFi. They actually had decent WiFi and all conversation around the table just stopped because people were craving good internet. So you’d also see us hanging out at several of the ports. They had some WiFi in the port terminal. Usually overwhelmed by the number of people who were trying to use it. Internet is still one of those places that could use some improvement. And one of the things to be aware of is: be very careful with your internet minutes that you log off.

What I found is when I just shut off my computer that it sometimes didn’t figure out for a number of minutes that I had logged off and so I think that’s really a bug that needs to be fixed, but be careful to log off every time you’re done with your internet. There is a great fitness center which we used since we were doing all of that eating. It isn’t quite like it used to be. There is no midnight buffet and I didn’t really feel like we were overeating quite as much as we could have but I gained a few pounds even with going to the fitness center or walking 10,000 steps almost every day. I didn’t use the spa and you know, that’s just a me thing. I actually had spa credit, but I’m not a spa guy. But I know a number of people would truly enjoy that. And also for me the art gallery on board, the casino, the jewelry shops, some other shops, those aren’t things that necessarily appeal to me. Of course if they put an apple store on or a camera store, then I might be spending a whole lot more money on a cruise.

I sort of figure there’s two possibilities. Either you really are drawn to the art gallery, the casino, the jewelry store on board, or somebody else is helping subsidize your cruise. So that’s not a bad thing either. We had a chance to talk to one of the people who worked for the art gallery. All those things are actually subcontracted by the cruise line. And so this is somebody who had worked for them five years and we said “You know, I can’t really picture going on a ship to buy art.” He said “You’d be surprised how often he hears that from somebody who’s writing a check for a $20,000 piece of art.” And he’s right, I would be.

But his theory was that they did a number of seminars at sea on art. Not on the art they were trying to sell but really just on getting you exposed to art and art appreciation. There are a number of bars on the ship and there are a number of drink plans that you can buy into. One thing to be aware of is that you are allowed to bring, I believe, it’s one bottle of wine per person as you get on the cruise, but if you bring on wine during the middle of the cruise you can either just have them store it for you and pick it up later on. Or if you want to drink it on the cruise, there’s a corkage fee. So there’s a fee that you get charged for that. Just something to be aware of. But there are happy hours. There are deals. There are some wonderful wine tastings where we did a South American wine tasting out on the Lito deck by the pool on one of the days when it was sailing back into warmer weather which was quite enjoyable.

Dining rooms: there’s actually two other dining rooms and we were supposed to try both of them but part of the problem was we were having such a good time in the regular dining room and then also the Pinnacle Grill and as much as I enjoyed the food in the main dining room, I was glad we had gone to the Pinnacle Grill because that was a wonderful meal. I had a filet mignon with a Bearnaise sauce and you can get me every time with something like that that is done very well.

One of the other things you might notice on a cruise ship that might take you by surprise is the emphasis on hand-washing. And of course if you’ve heard some of the stories of norovirus, which have gone through some cruise ships with a lot of people getting sick, you can see why they focus quite a lot on hygiene. Why they have hand-washing stations as you go into the dining rooms where they have Purell everywhere. Fortunately that’s relatively rare and we certainly didn’t seem to have a problem with that on our cruise, but they really do focus a lot and I’ve heard that some cruises will even not let you touch any of the food for the first couple of days just to make sure you’re not bringing something on board the ship. They’ll just serve everything to you and then they’ll relax that a bit after you’ve been on the ship for a little bit.

The “Little Ship”

The ship we were on, the Zaandam is about 1,400 passengers and the captain was telling a story that was very interesting about the direction of cruise ships. And cruise ships, as you know, are getting bigger or as you probably know. And he told the story of, they were in Miami at one point and it’s 5:00 at night and seven different cruise ships are trying to leave Miami and they have the pilots. And a pilot is somebody who is affiliated with the port. You need to have a pilot on board for Argentina for instance when you’re traveling in Argentina waters or Miami when you’re traveling in Miami water. And so, they had all these pilots on their radios talking to each other about which ship should go first of the seven trying to leave port at 5:00. And they said “Let the big ship go first” and that was the Zaandam.

And he said three years later it was the same conversation, seven ships leaving and they said “Let the little ship go first” and it was the Zaandam. So the ship had not shrunk in size, but over that period of time it had gone from being one of the larger ships to one of the smaller ships. And certainly as we pulled in behind a Princess cruise ship when we were in Valparaiso, it was startling to see how large some of the ships are. Especially because they’re still trying to be Panamex. They’re still trying to be not so big that they won’t fit in the Panama canal. So they’re just taller without being necessarily that much wider. And Holland America is also heading in that direction somewhat. They’re bringing on board a newer ship that is larger and then taking two of their smaller ships and selling them off next year because it’s difficult for them to make money on a ship this size.

And so that seems to be one of the things that we’re continuing to see is cruise ships getting larger. The other funny thing if you’ve never been on a cruise before is when you come on board the cruise, they take your picture and they put it on a plastic card and that card is everything. That card is your identification to get you on and off the ship, to get you through security on the way into the ship after a shore excursion. That card is what you can charge things on. Don’t lose that card. We didn’t even get our passports back until most of the way through the cruise and so, even though we were going to international ports, we were getting on and off without our passports because they had cleared our passports with the country we were visiting. That’s one of the other things that makes cruising easier and one of the reasons that it’s so popular.

And so that was our cruise experience. An enjoyable one, certainly something I would recommend. Both the particular cruise we did as well as the ship and the cruise line. Again a wonderful experience and especially because of the crew. It’s wonderful to get a chance to meet with the hotel director and to say hello to the captain but really on a day-to-day basis the people who are going to make or break your cruise are going to be your cabin steward, your bartender, they’re going to be your mixologist at the cocktail place. They’re going to be your sommelier, they’re going to be your table steward, and they’re going to be the people who clean your cabins who you never see.

I’m probably not quite as sold on cruising as some people. But we do always enjoy it. I say as some people because one of our table mates knew someone who had 14 different cruises in the future booked. And there was somebody on the cruise who, you get a point for every day at sea you have sailed with Holland America we have now sailed 28 days so we now have 28 points. There was a gentleman on the ship who had sailed for 3,500 days. Basically he had been at sea for about 10 years. I don’t think I’m ever going to be that a big a cruise fan, but again something I can recommend.

And with that I think we’ll end this episode of the Amateur Traveler. I have to get ready for a trip to Thailand. Don’t forget to vote for the Amateur traveler in the podcast awards. Dailypodcastawards.com. If you have questions, send an email to host at amateurtraveler.com or better yet, leave a comment on this episode at amateurtraveler.com. The transcript of this podcast will come out in about a month and it’s sponsored by JayWay Travel who are experts in Eastern European travel. You can follow me on Twitter at @chris2x. And as always, thanks so much for listening.

Transcription sponsored by  JayWay Travel , specialists in Central & Eastern Europe custom tours.

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by Chris Christensen

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One Response to “Cruising Around Cape Horn in South America – Episode 460”

Mike wrote:

I’ve been listening to the podcast since the 2007 and have enjoyed it very much. Just wanted to let you know that we just completed the cruise between Valparaiso and Buenos Aires that you described in a podcast. We loved the cruise and never would have known about it but for your podcast. Thanks for all of your insights and tips throughout the years and please feel free to let Holland America know that your podcast had an impact on their business. Also we intend to highly recommend the cruise to other travelers we know and meet on the road. Thanks again for all you do with the podcast.

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• Ask a Cruise Question

Sailing around Cape Horn / Beagle Channel - is it rough?

By Steerpike58 , November 10, 2022 in Ask a Cruise Question

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Steerpike58

We're considering a cruise around the tip of South America (from Buenos Aries to Santiago) and I was just wondering, is that area likely to be really rough?  How do modern cruise ships handle rough seas?  

Related - where are the 'hot spots' in the cruise world when it comes to rough seas?  

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2 hours ago, Steerpike58 said: We're considering a cruise around the tip of South America (from Buenos Aries to Santiago) and I was just wondering, is that area likely to be really rough?  How do modern cruise ships handle rough seas?     Related - where are the 'hot spots' in the cruise world when it comes to rough seas?    

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLzBDhilDL0

crystalspin

3 hours ago, Steerpike58 said: We're considering a cruise around the tip of South America (from Buenos Aries to Santiago) and I was just wondering, is that area likely to be really rough?

The Drake Passage is known for storms and rough waters, called the Drake Shake, but can be as calm as can be -- when it is called the Drake Lake. Our reverse cruise from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires encountered Drake Lake. It was beautiful! But it is the luck of the draw.

navybankerteacher

8 hours ago, Steerpike58 said: We're considering a cruise around the tip of South America (from Buenos Aries to Santiago) and I was just wondering, is that area likely to be really rough?  How do modern cruise ships handle rough seas?     Related - where are the 'hot spots' in the cruise world when it comes to rough seas?    

There is probably a greater likelihood of rough seas there than at most other passages.  However it is possible for very calm conditions to exist.   Other "hot spots" would include the Bay of Biscay, that gulf in the Med just south of the Rhone Valley, and rounding Cape Hatteras, NC.

Modern cruise ships generally handle "rough seas" well. Of course, given modern meteorology and communications, modern cruise ships generally "handle" really rough seas in any particular area by simply being elsewhere.

Just prior to my passage through this area, a severe storm had developed.  The Captain delayed our transit to Antarctica by a half day+ by sailing the Zaandam in the lee of the land mass at the end of Cape Horn.  When the storm had passed, we began across and, it was sufficiently rough, that maintaining one's balance in the Crow's Nest without hanging on to something was wise to do.  Looking out my cabin's window at the very dark cloud masses of the storm that had passed us, trying to have made that crossing might have been the worse sea conditions that I have experienced.

Crossing the Northern Pacific in late September from Vancouver to Russia, the Volendam experienced two strong storms with waves washing over the Crow's Nest when the bow slammed down into a trough.  There were some other "not so calm" parts of days, but, nothing like those storms!  

18 hours ago, Steerpike58 said: We're considering a cruise around the tip of South America (from Buenos Aries to Santiago) and I was just wondering, is that area likely to be really rough?  How do modern cruise ships handle rough seas?     Related - where are the 'hot spots' in the cruise world when it comes to rough seas?    

Our experience in 2016:  We had a lovely sail in to Ushuaia and were to take a small boat excursion. Within an hour the winds picked up and that was canceled (replaced by a tour in the National Park that was great).  Upon return to the ship we noticed that no effort was being made to prepare for departure.  The winds were so high the ship couldn't not leave the dock!  The captain explained that if the smaller ship docked opposite us when we arrived was still there it would have shielded us enough from the wind to push away.  Our 6 pm departure ended up being a midnight to 1 am departure and the beginning of a rocking and rolling night.

Still rocking and rolling when we got up in the morning.  After my DH took a shower he told me to come look at the tub.  The water was barely draining because the bow of the ship was higher than the stern (we were far aft).  My BIL - in the next cabin - mentioned the same thing.  We finally got close to Cape Horn and the Captain came on the PA system and said "There it is.  Take a close look because we aren't going to attempt to sail around it.  Setting the new course the seas should be much better and we will get to the Falkland Islands without a problem."  I didn't hear a single person standing on deck complained and I doubt if the others self confined to their cabins did either! 

20 hours ago, Steerpike58 said: We're considering a cruise around the tip of South America (from Buenos Aries to Santiago) and I was just wondering, is that area likely to be really rough?  How do modern cruise ships handle rough seas?     Related - where are the 'hot spots' in the cruise world when it comes to rough seas?    

Unfortunately, with respect to weather and seas, what other experienced has little bearing on what you will experience. However, Cape Horn is renowned as having the potential for being some of the roughest seas in the World.

Masters manage the passage using a number of tools - first and foremost is reviewing weather routing information and the synopsis/forecasts from a recognised National Meteorological Office. In open waters the Master will endeavour to steam toward the edge of the storm, reducing speed and steering a course in accordance with the seas to ease the passage. In coastal areas the master may seek shelter to evade rough seas.

Lots of areas are known for rough seas, with the primary factors being the fetch (distance the wind blows), depth of water and local weather issues. Some of the worst areas i have experienced are:

 - North Atlantic

 - North & South Pacific

 - Indian Ocean

 - Tasman Sea

 - Bay of Biscay

 - Gulf of Tehuantepec (south of Acapulco)

 - Hecate Strait (BC Coast)

 - Approaches to san Francisco & Columbia River

 - Roaring 40's (uninterupted waters at 40S)

 - Bass Strait

The day we rounded the Horn it looked like a farm pond.  Almost disappointing.

Point is...tlhere is no telling sea conditions at any given time.  South America is a great trip!

On 11/10/2022 at 2:36 PM, capriccio said: ....  We finally got close to Cape Horn and the Captain came on the PA system and said "There it is.  Take a close look because we aren't going to attempt to sail around it .  Setting the new course the seas should be much better and we will get to the Falkland Islands without a problem."  I didn't hear a single person standing on deck complained and I doubt if the others self confined to their cabins did either!   

So did they abandon the destinations altogether? I presume, if you don't go 'around' Cape Horn, you don't get to 'the other side', which means, destinations abandoned. Or, are there some 'passages' that you can take to achieve the same purpose? Or was this just a 'sight seeing' detour around the Horn? 

On 11/10/2022 at 2:17 PM, donaldsc said:    

That's an awesome video!  Especially interesting to see the damage at the end. I presume the ship had to undergo extensive repairs after this? The deck buckling is what makes me think that. 

42 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said: So did they abandon the destinations altogether? I presume, if you don't go 'around' Cape Horn, you don't get to 'the other side', which means, destinations abandoned. Or, are there some 'passages' that you can take to achieve the same purpose? Or was this just a 'sight seeing' detour around the Horn? 

Cape Horn is actually on an island (Hornos Island, Chile).  We were never scheduled to dock there.  In fact I don't know if any cruise ships do but maybe some of the small ones stop.  On our cruise it was planned to be a sail around so we saw 1/2 of the island in the distance.

1 hour ago, capriccio said: Cape Horn is actually on an island (Hornos Island, Chile).  We were never scheduled to dock there.  In fact I don't know if any cruise ships do but maybe some of the small ones stop.  On our cruise it was planned to be a sail around so we saw 1/2 of the island in the distance.

What I meant was, if you are on a cruise from Buenos Aries (east side) to Santiago (West side), do you have any option other than to go 'around the horn'?  If you can't make it around the horn, what do you do in order to reach your destination in Santiago? 

herbanrenewal

If you look at the map you can see there are passages that dont involve rounding Cape Horn to get to the Chilean coast to Valpariso.  

Yu selected a great a great itinerary. Went around the Cape twice, landed once. Both times were calm

On 11/13/2022 at 3:06 PM, Steerpike58 said: That's an awesome video!  Especially interesting to see the damage at the end. I presume the ship had to undergo extensive repairs after this? The deck buckling is what makes me think that. 

What you might consider "extensive" repairs is probably a lot different than what the company does.  Ships are steel boxes, designed to flex with the seas.  If you stand at the back of a ship on the upper deck, and look at the bow, you will see both the bow flexing up and down in relation to the rest of the hull, as well as twisting side to side.  This is normal.  However, when you glue wood decking on to the steel, it has a different elasticity, and so will tend to break at stress points.  Those areas of wooden deck would likely be roped off, and repaired within 3-5 days by the ship's carpenters.

On 11/16/2022 at 8:05 AM, herbanrenewal said:   If you look at the map you can see there are passages that dont involve rounding Cape Horn to get to the Chilean coast to Valpariso.  

This got me doing a review of my old history lessons!  Voyages of discovery, and all that.  According to this article , "The Beagle Channel, the Straits of Magellan to the north, and the open-ocean Drake Passage to the south are the three navigable passages around South America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Most commercial shipping uses the open-ocean Drake Passage ."

It goes on to say "(Although it (Beagle Channel) is navigable by large ships, there are safer waters to the south (Drake Passage) and to the north (Strait of Magellan)."

Apparently the Strait of Magellan was discovered first - 1520, followed by the rounding of Cape Horn (Drake Passage) in 1616. The Beagle Channel wasn't discovered till 1831. 

Why does most commercial shipping use the open-ocean Drake Passage around Cape Horn, anyone know? It would seem like the Strait of Magellan would be preferable!  Is it due to the narrowness of the channel and the need for pilots? 

14 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said: This got me doing a review of my old history lessons!  Voyages of discovery, and all that.  According to this article , "The Beagle Channel, the Straits of Magellan to the north, and the open-ocean Drake Passage to the south are the three navigable passages around South America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Most commercial shipping uses the open-ocean Drake Passage ."   It goes on to say "Although it is navigable by large ships, there are safer waters to the south (Drake Passage) and to the north (Strait of Magellan)."   Apparently the Strait of Magellan was discovered first - 1520, followed by the rounding of Cape Horn (Drake Passage) in 1616. The Beagle Channel wasn't discovered till 1831.    Why does most commercial shipping use the open-ocean Drake Passage around Cape Horn, anyone know? It would seem like the Strait of Magellan would be preferable!  Is it due to the narrowness of the channel and the need for pilots?     

Thanks for posting this.  I knew where it was but had not idea what the Strait of Magellan actually looked like.   I should have paid more attention in class. 

Good question about commercial shipping.  I wonder if it also has to do with being in international vs territorial waters.   

So ... having refreshed my geography of Cape Horn (Drakes Passage), the Beagle Channel, and the Strait of Magellan, do cruise lines going from Argentina to Chile (Santiago) typically opt for 'Cape Horn' or another option? 

Looking again at the specifics of the Viking cruise I was interested in ... makes more sense now ... looks like they sail close to Cape Horn just for grins (but not 'around' it), then sail into the Beagle Channel and Ushuaia for a port-stop, through the Beagle Channel and then up to Punta Arenas at the western end of the Strait of Magellan for another port stop, then back out to the Pacific and on up to Santiago.  So technically they are traversing the Beagle Channel in its entirety, touching on the other passages partially.  

Viking's 'map', along with a real map from Google ... 

This is a Holland America 'map' ...

4 hours ago, Steerpike58 said: Why does most commercial shipping use the open-ocean Drake Passage around Cape Horn, anyone know? It would seem like the Strait of Magellan would be preferable!  Is it due to the narrowness of the channel and the need for pilots?   

Most deep sea Masters prefer open water, so will avoid narrow channels, which are most likely compulsory pilotage waters.

9 hours ago, Heidi13 said:   Most deep sea Masters prefer open water, so will avoid narrow channels, which are most likely compulsory pilotage waters.

I think Andy will agree that most Masters will also prefer not to have rocks on both sides.  Open ocean gives you the option to steer various courses to minimize pitch/roll, and still not bounce of the "curbs".

4 hours ago, chengkp75 said: I think Andy will agree that most Masters will also prefer not to have rocks on both sides.  Open ocean gives you the option to steer various courses to minimize pitch/roll, and still not bounce of the "curbs".

You bet Chief, especially when the ship is only single screw and doesn't have high lift rudders and multiple thrusters.

Having spent 30 years navigating through narrow channels, in addition to the ship needing better manoeuvering characteristics than your average deep sea ship, it also takes an experienced coastal Master, even if they have a Pilot onboard. Over the years, I had a number of very experienced deep sea Masters try out and very few survived. I recall one ULCC Master couldn't handle the 90 degree turns in big tides, doing 20 kts about 480' off the rocks and every time he saw a ship/boat wanted to slow down. He just couldn't comprehend we could be dead in the water in 3 cables from 20 kts, since his last ship took 10 miles to stop. Prior to arrival, I made the initial speed reduction at 1 mile.

When using narrow channels you will escape the mountainous seas, but you don't always escape the winds. Storm force winds in confined channels are no fun, so yet another reason most deep sea Masters will opt for open water, where they can easily ride out the storm.

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said: Storm force winds in confined channels are no fun, so yet another reason most deep sea Masters will opt for open water, where they can easily ride out the storm.

I've always personally detested the North Sea, where the relatively enclosed nature, and relatively shallow water prevents the long rollers, but you get shorter period, higher sided seas.

February, 2022, it was the Drake Lake for us on the Veendam as the captain circled Cape Horn. In 2020 the we delayed crossing the Drake Passage to Antarctica until 24 foot swells abated. The roughest seas I have encountered were in the Irish Sea, of all places.

7 hours ago, chengkp75 said: I've always personally detested the North Sea, where the relatively enclosed nature, and relatively shallow water prevents the long rollers, but you get shorter period, higher sided seas.

Same with Hecate Strait, which is what most of the Alaska cruise ships use these days, once they clear Vancouver Island. On the west side it is really shallow, so the seas were significant. We used to cross 3 times per week in the winter, so have had some interesting experiences.

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When to Sail Around Cape Horn

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

June 15, 2022

The best time to sail around Cape Horn is when the weather is calm, and storms are unlikely, but conditions are treacherous year-round.

Cape Horn is the gateway from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. The area, which is around the southernmost point of South America, is famous for rough and unpredictable weather. The best time to sail around Cape Horn is during the winter when temperatures are (counterintuitively) warmer, and the conditions are safer.

Table of contents

‍ What is Cape Horn?

Before the Panama Canal , sailing around Cape Horn was the only way to transition from the eastern United States to the West Coast. The area joins the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.

The cape itself, which is part of southern Chile, has a jagged rocky coastline with no safe anchorages in most areas. Cape Horn has a long history of stormy weather that often grounds ships on the rocky coast.

Is Cape Horn Dangerous for Sailboats?

Cape horn is known to be dangerous to all kinds of vessels, sailing or otherwise. That said, countless vessels manage to make it around the cape without serious difficulties. The key is to plan properly and choose the best time to sail around Cape Horn.

Cape Horn Climate

Cape Horn has a climate that's quite strange compared to most of the world. In Cape Horn, the temperatures, seasons, and weather patterns are essentially reversed.

Reversed Seasons and Cool Temperatures

Cape Horn summer temperatures are mild to low, averaging between 39°F in June and 41.5°F in August. The weather begins to heat up in September and October when temperatures rise to between 46.2°F and 51.1°F.

The hottest months in Cape Horn are December and January, which average between 58.5°F and 57.9°F, respectively. Sailors should be aware of these antarctic 'backward seasons' before setting sail.

Low Pressures and Storms

Pay attention to your barometer when traveling around Cape Horn. The barometric pressures in the region often dip rapidly, causing an influx of gale-force winds and stormy conditions.

Sailing with Cape Horn Winds

It isn't the temperature that makes Cape Horn so treacherous. It's the wind. The winds around Cape Horn are strong and often violent. Wind can change on a dime in the region, both in direction and wind speed.

Winds around Cape Horn frequently exceed 60 knots, and high waves make sailing particularly difficult. Conditions like these make the Panama Canal look like a particularly attractive alternative.

Minimizing the Dangers of High Winds

Standard sailing procedures apply when sailing around Cape Horn. It's especially important to stay alert in this area, as wind conditions can change rapidly.

Be prepared to reef and trim your sails. Installing a roller furling for your headsail is a good idea, as it eliminates the need to walk across the bow to reef the jib. Other systems such as electric winches can eliminate more labor, so you can keep your eye on the weather and hands on the helm.

Best Sailing Seasons Around Cape Horn

The best times to sail around Cape Horn are usually from December to February. Temperatures in the area are warmer during this time, and storm activity is about average.

That said, Cape Horn is hazardous year-round. Winter just happens to be the time when you're most likely to make it through without encountering icy conditions or other treacherous antarctic conditions.

Preparing to Sail Around Cape Horn

Sailing around Cape Horn is challenging and hazardous, but you can take steps to minimize the danger and discomfort of the journey. Here are ten essential supplies to make your journey around Cape Horn as safe and ideal as possible.

Lifelines are cables that connect you to the boat. Lifelines run from a harness on your body to a secure part of the vessel, such as a side rail. These cables prevent you from being swept away should you fall overboard, which is especially important in freezing Cape Horn waters.

Life Jackets

This goes without saying: make sure you have enough life jackets for everyone on board, and make sure you wear them at all times when moving around the boat or sitting on the deck. Combined with lifelines, lifejackets can save your life in a dicey situation.

Foul Weather Gear

Many sailors overlook foul weather gear, as a simple raincoat is often sufficient for coastal cruising. If you're planning a trip around Cape Horn, a good set of waterproof foul weather gear is a must. Waterproof suits keep you warm and dry when you're bombarded by freezing spray.

Cyclizine or Dramamine

Cyclizine and Dramamine are common motion sickness medications that every sailboat should stock before venturing around Cape Horn. Stocking medications is still wise, even if you usually don't get seasick. Sailors know that seasickness is exhausting, and everyone on board prepares to give their 100% if the weather gets dicey.

Berth Lee Cloth

Here's an old maritime sleeping secret that can keep you comfortable and secure in rough weather. A lee cloth is a section of canvas or mesh designed to keep you from falling out of your bunk when rolling around in rough seas. It stows easily and sets up in seconds, and it's easy to hop over if you need to get on deck quickly.

A storm jib is a fantastic headsail for rough weather, and it can keep you safe and underway during a Gail. Storm jibs, which are usually neon orange, are miniature headsails made of stronger material. They're pre-cut to a small profile that takes advantage of high winds and prevents torn sails.

Storm Trysail

A storm trysail is similar to a storm jib, but it takes the place of the mainsail instead. A neon orange storm trysail offers an additional level of control and more power in rough conditions.

Plus, the neon orange makes your boat highly visible in tall waves. A storm trysail combined with a storm jib is an excellent and affordable option for rough weather.

Heavy Duty Stays, Shrouds, and Chain Plates

A set of heavy-duty standing rigging components can reduce the likelihood of a serious accident at sea. During rough conditions, the strain on your standing rigging can cause defects to become serious hazards.

Dismasting has occurred around Cape Horn, and it's usually the result of a failed chain plate, shroud, or stay. New heavy-duty hardware can give you peace of mind in bad conditions.

Radar is a costly but useful cruising boat modification. Despite its cost, radar can be a spectacular advantage when sailing around Cape Horn. Despite the Panama Canal , Cape Horn is still a relatively busy shipping lane. Radar can help you see commercial traffic during stormy or dark conditions, keeping you safe from a collision when conditions are hazardous.

Cockpit Enclosure

A cockpit enclosure can keep you warm and dry when sailing in rough Cape Horn conditions. Once rare, these vinyl and canvas cockpit covers are now common on cruising sailboats . A high-quality cockpit enclosure offers excellent visibility, wind and spray protection, and easy deck access.

Should I Sail Around Cape Horn?

The best time to sail around Cape Horn is when you, your boat, and your crew are most prepared to make the challenging journey. The trip follows in the footsteps of ancient mariners, and it's considered one of the most rewarding sailboat journeys that you can make.

The scenery around Cape Horn is breathtaking, and the surrounding South American countries are known for incredible culture and sailing destinations. Given the benefits, is sailing around Cape Horn worth it? If you're prepared, it's definitely worth it.

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I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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Follow the ship

 Oosterschelde

Sail legendary cape horn on the 27th leg of darwin200 from lyttleton to stanley., number of days, embar kation.

02-01-2025, 17:00

DISEMBAR KATION

19-02-2025, 09:00

Step on board in Christchurch to sail Cape Horn, one of the three biggest achievements for sailors.

Voyage description

Rounding ‘The Storm Cape’ is for a sailor what reaching the top of Mount Everest is for the mountaineer. Countless books tell of the heroic voyages of sailing ships in earlier times. On this long voyage, we have plenty of time to read all those books again and to imagine the glory days of sailing.

The southern oceans are under the influence of the westerly wind. Water and waves are pushed up by this wind. Because there is nothing to slow down these waves, they can grow into huge mountains of water. The winds are often strong, and these latitudes (from 40 to 50 degrees south) are therefore nicknamed ‘Roaring Forties’. Cape Horn itself, lies even further south, in the ‘Furious Fifties’. The approaching waves are forced through the relatively narrow gap between the cape and the Antarctic Peninsula. Because the ocean here is relatively shallow, this can lead to dangerous seas, especially in stormy weather.

But it really isn’t all doom and gloom. If you want to go from west to east quickly, it’s just smart to do it as far south as possible. The distance to be covered is then smaller and you benefit from the westerlies. We do our voyage not only in the right season (summer), but we also sail from West to East, with the wind at our back. Moreover, with our modern means of communication we have a good overview of how the weather is developing. We can choose to go a little more to the South or to the North and thus avoid too extreme weather. Unlike in the past, we also know exactly where the ice line is.

Nevertheless, it remains a long and challenging journey, in which we are completely on our own. Perhaps that is still the biggest challenge: making sure that we personally do not interfere with each other too much, all these weeks. Fortunately, there is always something to do. Maintenance on the ship will have to be done, as best as sea conditions allow us. And during the long voyage we encounter whales, dolphins, penguins, and many albatrosses. After weeks at sea, Cape Horn looms on the horizon. Once we’ve passed this infamous rock, we can change course and sail on to the Falkland Islands.

Before and after your voyage leg We strongly recommend you book a few days accommodation in the port of your embarkation (prior to your joining Oosterschelde), and a few days in the port you disembark (after your place on the voyage ends). This will allow you to recover before and after your adventure and will give you the opportunity to explore locations at your start and end points.

Land based tour organized by Redfern Adventures Redfern Adventures has put together really focused itineraries that offer you the chance to explore the incredible Falkland Islands and the beautiful island of Saint Helena after you disembark or before you embark (depending upon which voyage leg you are joining). These itineraries are specifically designed to take in the best wildlife and historic tourist sites that these locations offer.  The Falkland Islands and Saint Helena Add On Trips are organized separately from the DARWIN200 Global Voyage through the travel operator Redfern Adventures.

To reserve a place, please email [email protected]. 

More than an Adventure! By taking part in the Global Voyage, you support the DARWIN200 project. As part of your adventure, you will receive the following exclusive benefits:

• A full color, 300-page, hardback book as a momento of your adventure on board.
• A short video which will be filmed during each voyage leg.
• An invitation to the Start of Voyage Party in Plymouth on 13/08/2023.
• An invitation to the End of Voyage Party in Falmouth on 20/07/2025.
• An invitation to the DARWIN200 Concluding Award Ceremony in London in summer, 2025. Meet environmental celebrities, the young conservationists (‘DARWIN LEADERS’) and take part in a prize-giving ceremony.
• Acknowledgement and thanks by name on all DARWIN200 output films throughout the global voyage (although anonymity will be respected, if requested).
• Free DARWIN200 Global Voyage branded T-shirt!

DARWIN200 Become part of DARWIN200, a planetary conservation initiative that will empower the next generation’s elite environmental leaders and engage millions of students worldwide in conservation projects. By taking part in the Global Voyage, you will be helping to make the DARWIN200 project a reality. For more information visit: www.darwin200.com.

Q & A sessions Interested in joining? Join our live information session about the 2023-25 Global Voyage. Each Information Session is beamed via Zoom and includes an overview of the global voyage, information about each of the 32 voyage legs, a live walk around Oosterschelde (when her schedule allows) and a Questions and Answers exchange.

Join the next info session via www.darwin200.com/info .

Level 3-voyages are only suitable for the experienced and fit (sea)traveler. The weather could be challenging and during a crossing, there a few if not any options to divert to a harbor. We sail out of reach of helicopters and medical care from shore is usually not available.

The shipping company would like the OOSTERSCHELDE to be accessible to the widest possible audience, but you must realize that you are making a voyage aboard a seagoing tall ship. This requires more of your physical ability than a daily walk. Some voyages are more challenging than others. With the different levels, we give an indication of how heavy the voyage can be. If you are unsure whether a voyage is suitable for you, it is important to contact shipping company OOSTERSCHELDE for advice.

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11 Around-The-World Cruises For An Epic Getaway

"Sailing around the world" sounds so romantic, doesn't it? You're sailing to remote islands with like-minded people while chasing sunsets on a distant horizon. Sure, you can just board a plane to, say, New Zealand, but there's something so pure and patient about maritime journeys. Cruises are like floating resorts, which ease their way over the waves. It's the definition of "slow travel." 

Amazingly, in the modern world of jet-setting travel, round-the-world cruises do exist. Voyagers visit dozens of ports over the course of their odyssey, each with its own landscape, climate, and personality. There are lots of ways travelers can experience "the trip of a lifetime," but this kind of circumnavigation outmatches just about all of them -- and in style. However, there are a few things to consider before investigating such cruises. First, what does it actually mean to sail "around the world?"

Many companies use this phrase — and sail thousands of nautical miles — but only around a single ocean or hemisphere. Even when ships do sail a distance equivalent to the equator (or more), they rarely return to their precise port of origin. Also, these epic  cruise vacations can be pricey ; the kind of dream that merits cashing in a 401K, and the time commitment is also substantial, meaning months on the water. But for diehard cruisers, crisscrossing the planet could easily be worth the time and money, and if this sounds like you, these 11 cruise lines are scheduled to sail around the world.

Read more: The Prettiest Waters Around The World

Viking: World Cruise

For 138 days, passengers frog-hop through the Caribbean, pass through the Panama Canal, make their way to the islands of Polynesia, and skirt Australia, Asia, and Europe before finally dropping their anchor in London. On Viking's World Cruise, you can step ashore in 28 different nations and pick from 57 guided tours. Viking has been a prolific, respected cruise line since its founding in 1997, and this three-quarter circumnavigation sets sail in December 2024, so there's still time to book.

Ships are equipped with spas, luxury dining options, and cabin beds that can be separated or combined, among many other touches. Long before stepping aboard, the Viking website has a virtual 360-degree tour, acquainting future travelers with the ship's staterooms. Viking has thoughtfully put together a reading list to help travelers get a deeper understanding of the countries they will visit, which is especially helpful in little-understood destinations like Moorea and Indonesia. The ship also has a sizable library onboard for further research. This, plus its sophisticated tours and dining options that reflect the culture of each port, may explain Viking's moniker, "the thinking person's cruise." Quality does come at a price, with full passage starting at $59,995.

Ambassador: Grand Round The World Cruise

The Ambiance sets off from London, crosses the Atlantic, passes through Panama, and hits Australia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America before pinging back to the United Kingdom. Not only do you cross all the major oceans, but you actually cross the Atlantic three times. Most of these destinations are warm-weather ports, including Sydney at the height of summer. Sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats are recommended on this largely equatorial route.

Ambassador is new to the cruise scene, having been established in the United Kingdom in 2021, and Ambiance is its flagship vessel. Passengers will spend their 120-night voyage in extreme comfort, traveling to 24 countries and 34 ports of call, with top-notch dining, live entertainment, and about 35,000 nautical miles in between. If you can live without a porthole, opting for an  inside cabin on the cruise , then passage starts at the budget-friendly price of $8,500 per person, making this Ambassador cruise one of the most economical on this list. You can also add on drink packages and arrange tours in advance or onboard through an agent or the Ambassador app. You can also explore the ship before you travel, thanks to a 360-degree virtual tour. The 2024 voyage sets sail on June 6.

Regent: World Cruise

The 2026 Regent World Cruise starts in Miami and ends in Miami, which makes it convenient to coordinate, especially if you're already based in the United States. Regent Seven Seas Cruises was founded in 1992 and is a respected brand in the industry.

The ship, the Seven Seas Mariner, also lives up to its name with a formidable 154-night itinerary: the Panama Canal, points along Central America, a dozen Pacific islands, Australia, South Asia, East Africa, and two Atlantic islands before returning to Florida. The Mariner arrives in many well-trod ports like Cape Town and Acapulco, but the route also includes locations that most travelers would have trouble pinpointing on a map: Lautoka, Abidjan, and Male are all names cruisers will become familiar with. To really explore these places, Regent organizes a whopping 431 free shore excursions across six continents, 77 ports, and 47 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Sailing nearly 40,000 nautical miles with world-class spas, dining, and entertainment aboard doesn't come cheap. While you'll need to contact Regent to request specific prices, passengers can expect to pay nearly $100,000 for passage. Regent's World Cruise is considered a luxury-level experience with first-class airfare, gratuities, and 24-hour room service included. If this is your tax bracket, just wait until you see the suites.

Royal Caribbean: Ultimate World Cruise

Royal Caribbean has been taking tourists to far-flung destinations since the late 1960s, and it's now one of the most recognizable cruise companies in the world, so naturally Royal Caribbean would host a round-the-world voyage. But even for seasoned travelers, the Ultimate World Cruise is pretty, well, ultimate. Royal Caribbean's world cruise lasts 274 nights and arrives in no fewer than 60 countries. In other words, you'll spend nine months at sea and personally visit more than a quarter of the sovereign nations on Earth. The saga starts and ends in Miami, where the Royal Caribbean is headquartered, which should make arrangements easy.

The biggest bragging right of all: This cruise touches on every single continent, including Elephant Island and Paradise Bay in Antarctica. You'll find yourself in both Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, plus ports you've never even heard of. That said, unless your soul is fueled by pure wanderlust, this itinerary may sound like a lot of cruising, which may explain why Royal Caribbean has divided the journey into four segments. Cruisers don't have to commit to the entire itinerary; they can easily pick from the quarter that most interests them. 

By the time you read this, a segment may be the only option left, as the next Ultimate World Cruise departs in December of 2023. The segments are significantly more affordable as well. An interior stateroom for the full cruise costs at least $60,000 per person, while a segment starts at $12,500.

Cunard: Full World Voyage

When the Queen Mary 2 departs from New York City on January 3, 2024, it won't return to this same harbor for 123 nights. The itinerary isn't exactly "around the world," but rather a crossing of the Eastern Hemisphere — twice. Passengers traverse the Atlantic to the United Kingdom, then ease their way down the eastern coast of Africa before beelining for Australia. The ship boomerangs back, with many stops in Asia, a shortcut through the Suez Canal, and a tour of the Mediterranean before heading back to the U.S.

The voyage comes at the heels of Cunard's 100th anniversary, making it the second-oldest company on the list. The Queen Mary 2 has been Cunard's flagship vessel since 2004, and the company has mastered hospitality over the past century, with exceptional dining, luxury suites, and Broadway-quality performances by the Royal Court Theatre. Cunard also takes pride in its children's facilities, encouraging families to travel together, as well as the great English tradition of afternoon tea. Most of the budget cabins on the Queen Mary 2 were already booked at the time of this writing, but cabins with balconies are still available, starting at the not-ludicrous price of $16,899 per person. 

Oceania: Around The World In 180 Days

When Junes Verne wrote his novel "Around the World in Eighty Days," his Victorian goal was to travel as quickly as possible. Oceania is now advertising the opposite: This journey takes passengers the long way from Los Angeles to New York City, across the Pacific, around Australia, along the coasts of East Asia, and then up through the Middle East, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and even Greenland. The itinerary doesn't spend much time in the "global south," so you'll have to visit Africa and South America another time.

The Miami-based Oceania was founded in 2002 and specializes in long-haul cruises, so they know their system well. This cruise may be especially appealing to foodies. The company takes particular pride in its onboard meals as well as in-country Culinary Discovery Tours. Passengers can also take advantage of The Aquamar Spa & Vitality Center, which can orchestrate a special dietary regimen.

Oceania exudes "small-ship luxury" and caps its total number of passengers at 1,250. Everything about the ship is more intimate than found on its larger cousins, from the live entertainment to the duty-free boutiques. If you like a small-town feel, 180 days should be just enough time to meet all your shipmates. If you can't summon the time or (at least) $47,599 by January 2024, the next ship departs in January 2025.

Princess: 111-Day World Cruise

This Princess cruise is another true circumnavigation, starting in Los Angeles and bearing west until the ship arrives back at its original dock. The 111-day cruise starts on January 18, 2024, and includes all three major oceans, both the Suez and Panama Canals, plus 47 ports along the way. The itinerary is light on Asian and African ports and skips South America altogether, but you can still enjoy visits to Australia, the Middle East, and numerous destinations around Europe.

Princess is a hallowed name in the cruise industry. Not only have its ships been sailing the world since the 1960s, but Princess is still one of the most profitable cruise companies in the world. Passengers can expect onboard enrichment programs, award-winning live performances, and rejuvenating treatments at the Lotus Spa. Each port will also bring its own offerings of special excursions, from river rafting to art tours. 

With its dependable quality of service and nearly four-month itinerary, it's remarkable that base bookings start at only $15,498. Better yet, if you want to circle the globe with the whole family, this Princess itinerary is a family-friendly cruise and offers youth programming, which is not always the case. If you miss this one, no worries. Three more, of varying lengths, are slated for January 2025.

Holland America Line: Grand World Voyage

Fort Lauderdale is the beginning and end point for the Zuiderdam, which spends 128 days making a complete circle around the globe. Holland America's Grand World Voyage is true to its name. Passengers travel across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, making port on five continents. Most of its destinations are clustered around Asia and the Mediterranean, and it skips over Australia. But the Voyage is a rare opportunity to sail up the Amazon River, with visits to inland Brazilian cities most travelers would never think to visit.

Holland America began as a shipping and passenger line in the mid-19th Century, and its history of cruising is nearly as old as the concept. The flagship Zuiderdam is a luxury vessel with a swimming pool and sizable theater. It also boasts several diverse dining areas, including the Pinnacle Grill steakhouse, the Italian-themed Canaletto, and the à la carte Lido Market. There's Billboard Onboard, a special room for trivia nights and karaoke, as well as World Stage, a presentation space with a wraparound LED screen. Bookings start at the more expensive rate of $22,499 for an inside cabin, and the 2024 voyage will set sail on January 3, 2024, but you can expect additional Grand World Voyages to be slated in the coming years.

Azamara: World Voyage

Formerly part of the Royal Caribbean fleet, Azamara is now an independent company taking its own journeys. The 2025 World Voyage begins in San Diego and sails westward, across the Pacific, to Australia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean, before passengers disembark in Barcelona. The World Voyage doesn't quite girdle the globe, stopping just short of the Atlantic Ocean, and the only stop in Africa is Giza. But this 155-night expedition should satisfy almost any traveler, especially with its 40 countries and 22 overnights.

Unlike many world cruises, Azamara has divided its full itinerary into segments with clear geographic themes, such as "South Pacific Jewels" and "Mediterranean Icons." These titles can help turn experiences into coherent narratives. For example, "Ancient Pathways" draws a historic and economic line between Mumbai and Athens, along with all ports in between. These themes are coupled with thoughtful excursions, which are often scheduled around local holidays and festivals. The World Voyage for 2024 appears to be sold out, but the 2025 edition sets sail on January 5. Passage starts at a princely $39,999.

Freighter Cruises

Some of us want to keep it simple. No need for late-night show-stoppers, cocktail parties with hundreds of strangers, or daring bets at the roulette wheel. "Freighter cruises" have gone by many names over the years, such as "banana boats" and "cargo cruises," but passengers have hitched rides on commercial ships since the dawn of seafaring. These accommodations come in many forms, and you do have to share your vessel with stacks of massive shipping containers; still, you can expect a comfortable cabin and regular meals, along with friendly and respectful crewmembers from around the world. For travelers with a Jack London streak, the freighter cruise feels raw and adventurous.

The Freighter Travel Club was founded in 1958, and companies like Maris Freighter Cruises and Voyage en Cargo have booked passengers on commercial vessels for years. Maris has arranged round-the-world itineraries in the past, and multi-week journeys are common, as enormous loads are floated from one nation to the next. The pandemic took its toll on this niche industry, and most of these journeys do not precisely travel around the world. But when they're in operation, freighter cruises usually cost a little over $100 per day, and savvy travelers have flexibility in their bookings.

Miray Cruises: Life At Sea

Sure, cruising is fun, but what if you want to turn your ship into a semi-permanent address? Life at Sea Cruises promises three years of luxury seafaring, with stops in 140 countries across all seven continents. By the time you're done with these 382 ports, you'll have more photos to sort through and stories to share than most people will amass in a lifetime.

That sounds life-changing, but we'll have to see whether it's too good to be true. Life at Sea is a brand-new enterprise from Miray Cruises, and the maiden voyage has been fraught with delays. However, at the time of this writing, Life at Sea should get underway by the end of 2023, and most full-voyage passengers should already be sailing by 2024. If all goes well, there are four scheduled embarkation options for travelers who want to hop aboard later on, and more will likely be scheduled.

One of the problems has been the ship itself. For a while, the purchase of the ship was in limbo, pushing back the original sail date. However, the MV Lara now seems ready to sail. The medium-sized vessel has space for 1,266 passengers, with a range of cozy cabins, a wellness center, and a pool deck, among many other amenities. Travelers committed to living at sea for three years should get a lot out of their floating home. Life at Sea is a dreamy concept, so let's hope for calm waters once it finally sets sail. 

Read the original article on Explore .

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Cruises through Cape Horn, Chile (Cruising)

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Cape Horn Cruising Guide

Experience what it’s like to journey to the end of the world as you cruise past Cape Horn. Located on the southernmost tip of South America in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, Cape Horn is the place where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. For centuries, adventurous explorers and daring sailors, including Ferdinand Magellan and Charles Darwin, navigated its famous choppy waters on their way from Europe to the East.

With the creation of the Panama Canal, the lengthy route was no longer a necessity. Instead, visitors flock to Cape Horn on a South America cruise to witness its stunning natural beauty and endemic wildlife. Discover this remote area of the world while on a cruise that sails around South America’s breathtaking Patagonia and marvel at snow-capped mountains, sparkling lakes, towering glaciers, and unrivaled landscapes during an unforgettable journey to one of the far corners of the planet.

Things to Do During a Cape Horn Cruise

See where two oceans meet.

When you sail to Cape Horn, you get to visit the exact spot where the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean meet. Due to patterns of water currents, this mingling between the oceans can create rocky waves at certain times of the year and surprisingly calm waters at other times.

Look for Whales

When you cruise around Cape Horn, you’ll be sailing around one of the best places to view sea mammals, including sea lions, penguins, and whales. In the Patagonia region, you can expect to see a few different kinds of whales in the water, like orcas, humpback, and blue whales. Bring your camera along and snap photos of these majestic animals as they swim with their calves, feed in groups, and perform riveting breaching displays in the water.

Spot Penguins

Another animal you can’t miss seeing during a cruise around Cape Horn is the Magellanic penguin. Named after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, these penguins are some of the largest of their kind and typically have two black stripes running down their stomachs. Over one million Magellanic penguins live in Patagonia, making it more than likely that you’ll see some of these flightless birds during your journey.

Learn More About South America Shore Excursions

Culture & history of cape horn.

Cape Horn is named after the city of Hoorn, the birthplace of explorer Willem Corneliszoon Schouten, who was the first man to sail through Cape Horn in 1616. During the ensuing centuries, the passageway became a popular shipping route, since it was the only way ships were able to travel from Europe to the Far East and back, until the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. Cape Horn was once considered one of the most treacherous stretches of water in the world, and it is believed that over 10,000 seafarers lost their lives attempting to cross it. The Cape Horn Monument shaped like an albatross on Isla Hornos is dedicated to those who lost their lives off the coast of Cape Horn. 

Find Cruises to Chile's Cape Horn (Cruising) Port

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Around the Writers’ Table: The cruise ship doctor

Set sail on the seas and in print with Dr. Gerry Yukevich.

Dr. Gerry Yukevich was finishing up dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Boston when he cracked open his fortune cookie and read, “Soon will have new job on the high seas.” What he didn’t know then was two weeks later, he would be starting an eight-year stint (part-time) as a cruise ship doctor. (He was also working in an emergency room in Boston at the time.)

This was in the 1980s, and on his first day aboard the ship, the nurse showing him around said to him, “For your information, I showed you the hospital, and I showed you your cabin, but I sleep with the captain, so there’ll be no funny business between us.”

Yukevich’s experiences as a cruise ship doctor provided him with ample material for his novel, appropriately titled “Cruise Ship Doctor.” The novel was first published two decades ago under his pen name, Ivan Cox. And then, in a stroke of unfortunate timing, was reissued during the global pandemic that we’re now starting to talk about in the past tense.

Remember back in the winter of 2020, some 70 passengers on the Diamond Princess got infected with COVID, and the entire cruise ship was quarantined off the coast of Japan? The world watched and waited to see what would become of the 3,700 passengers and crew members aboard the ship.

The cruise ship industry, like many industries, came to a halt during the height of the pandemic. According to sciencedirect.com , “The ships stopped one by one at the end of March in different parts of the world, and after that, cruise lines dealt with sending crew members and passengers home while the borders were closed.”

As the months of quarantines, closings, and social isolation dragged on, it became hard to imagine that anyone would be hopping aboard a cruise ship again.

But the industry has had a healthy recovery, and is said to be rebounding. A 2023 AAA survey revealed “52 percent of U.S. adults are just as likely or more likely to consider taking a cruise vacation as they were before the pandemic.”

On Sunday morning, those of us who know Yukevich/Cox woke up to an email advertising “A Cruise Ship Doctor Cruise.”

What was this? Intrigued, I reached out to Yukevich/Cox.

Dr. Yukevich, who no doubt has treated many MV Times readers since moving to the Vineyard in 1995 with his wife Martha and young daughter Anna, is a man of many interests, quirks, and talents.

“I used to work as a cruise ship doctor, and used to see everybody on the deck chairs sunning themselves and reading books, and I thought, Well, they should be reading a book about what’s happening around them,” he said. So he wrote that book, which he describes as “a comic epic about a week on a cruise ship,” during a week that “Love Luck,” the most popular reality talk show on TV, is on board filming a “Valentine TV cruise.”

The novel, which I started reading yesterday, takes place on the SS Nordic Blue, “ the world’s grandest and most legendary cruise ship.” Dr. Oliver Loring is the ship’s chief medical officer, and is described by Yukevich/Cox as “edgy, intellectual, and an expert ballroom dancer.”

Yekevich/Cox has long envisioned taking readers on a cruise and regaling them with readings, stories about his escapades as an actual cruise ship doctor, and playing music — as the fictional Dr. Loring does.

“I couldn’t do it during COVID, but it’s safe now,” Yekevich/Cox explained. He connected with a podcaster named Chilli Falls, who covers the cruise ship industry, and will be organizing the upcoming Cruise Ship Doctor Cruise.

The dates for the cruise are Nov. 16 to 23. Yukevich/Cox says that if you read 50 pages a day — and I can now assure you that it’s a fast and fun read, and you’ll, er, cruise through 50 pages — you’ll start and finish the book during the actual cruise.

The ship sets sail from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and travels to the Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. For those of us who can’t make the cruise, maybe we can coax Cox onto the ferry for a preview.

For more details, and to book the cruise, call Chillie Falls at 434-258-9264.

“Cruise Ship Doctor” is available on land at Bunch of Grapes and Edgartown Books. 

Around the Writers’ Table is a column about writers and writing on the Vineyard. Please email [email protected] with your writing-related or book news. 

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