Around the Horn… and into the Infamous Drake Passage
Did you know? This term ‘Around the Horn’ has multiple official references:
The First Definition. "Around-the-horn" describes a ground-ball double or triple play that starts with the third baseman and involves a throw to second followed by a throw to first. "Around-the-horn" can also be used to describe when the infielders throw the ball to one another following an out with no men on base.
The 2nd Definition: In the days of the tall ships any sailor who had sailed around Cape Horn was entitled to spit to windward; otherwise, it was a serious infraction of nautical rules of conduct. Thus, the permissible practice of spitting to windward was called 'round the horn.' Cape Horn isn't so named because it is shaped like a horn. Captain Schouten, the Dutch navigator who first rounded it in 1616, named it after Hoorn, his birthplace in northern Holland. This didn’t exist as a phrase until after the Panama Canal was built and then sailers and captains referred to it as the alternate way to travel into the Pacific around the tip of South America versus through The Panama Canal.
Today we pass Cape Horn, and head into the infamous Drake Passage.
You can see here the Captain’s pencil markings… moving us into position to pass Cape Horn, and then turn southward directly into Drake Passage.
Before we spot Cape Horn, we have to get around Deception Point. This image above is that point, and we’ve already navigated it but didn’t get images from the other side as we had high winds and driving rain.
This is officially Cape Horn which is the southernmost lighthouse on earth. This is a staffed lighthouse, manned by the Chilean Navy who do twelve-month stints living here and looking after it with their families.
The weather here changes by the minute. The image below of cape horn was just 20 minutes later after we enjoyed about 12 minutes of sun.
And then the rain and wind rolled in, again.
“Every Sailor who has been down here knows that you do not get to round the Horn unless the Horn allows it.”
After we successfully navigated this Horn, we received the certificate below which is a Navy Certificate given to those who successfully navigate around Cape Horn. The Navy Certificate designates you as a member of ‘The Order of Moss Back.’
From the 'Naval History and Heritage Command website: And while you're in southern latitudes, you might qualify for a distinction that has become rare in this age of the Panama Canal: the title of Mossback. Members of this exclusive brotherhood are those who have completed the fearsome voyage around stormy Cape Horn. They are given the right to spit into the wind, if they want to risk it.
I’m sorry to announce there was no spitting into the wind. It’s been said 100 times on this voyage so far… the ONLY thing this vessel wants to leave behind is its wake in the water. Nothing, like NOTHING, goes into the water or environment if possible.
Next up, Drake Passage. Will it be the Drake Lake or the Drake Shake…