Cape Horn, Patagonia
After leaving Antarctica, the National Geographic Explorer made great speed across the Drake Passage which gave our Expedition Leader Tim and Captain Oliver some ideas. They considered a few deviations from the straight path towards the Beagle Channel. One was to Diego Ramirez, a small group of islands to the south of Cape Horn. There are thousands of different types of seabirds on this archipelago. As the ship approached, albatrosses and penguins could be seen above and in the waves. The majestic black browed albatross and grey headed albatross were spotted along with three species of penguins, macaroni, rockhopper and magellanic. South American fur seals could also be seen high up on the cliffs, on shore and around the ship.
The ship continued on towards the famed Cape Horn. Long the scourge of ships in the days of sail, this impressive outcropping was the last thing some sailors saw as there were over 2,000 shipwrecks in the area when ships tried to go the “wrong way” around the horn which is from east to west against the prevailing winds and seas.
The rest of the day was spent travelling up the Beagle Channel towards Ushuaia. Many of us packed our belongings and memories from this great expedition to the white continent.
