Heading for the Horn!

As Tomy is very close to the Cape Horn almost heading there… he is pretty excited about it like any sailor worth his salt. I am following his voyage, and following it enthusiastically! .... to the extent that I dream of it sometimes. Oh there is certainly another voyage that I track on the ‘vessel tracker’ each morning, my husband onboard a chemical tanker. So ever since we got married I have been the ‘tracker’ for the vessel he sails on; ofcourse I am not the nasty bitter half who keeps a track on him always! ... its only the vessel as its nice to see the big wide blue mighty ocean in the morning. Blue is such a cool colour and happens to be my favourite. 
INSV Mhadei and Lt. Cdr. Abhilash Tomy add another aspect to my tracking vessels. This one is purely for adventure and the pride that the whole exercise brings to the nation. When he is back to the base Mumbai and the Indian Navy completes Sagarparikrama 2 successfully, Abhilash becomes the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe nonstop and unassisted. That makes him join the elite group of 80 people from all around the world who have done that before him. What a feat that will be, not only for Tomy as an Indian but also for the Navy to prove its might and successful maritime history.

His last cover picture on the Mhadei’s  facebook page said, Horn 3000 Nautical miles. And current one says 2000 miles away from the Horn. Surely it is the topmost thing on his mind; he is hoping to round the horn and raring to do it fast.

I have read up about the Horn, on the internet, ofcourse! There are thousands of pages available. Reading different aspects of Cape Horn and why is it so distinguished in the minds of the sea farers, if I may say so. There are thousands of people following the voyage now as can be seen from the number of likes on the page and the blog visits. This post is particularly for the people who’d like to know a bit more about the cape and aspects that makes it so exclusive. 
Let me add here that I am not an expert on the topic, I haven't done any sailing either. These facts are taken from Wiki, and other websites and I acknowledge that and every writer that may have been referred. Anyone who wishes to add a fact or negate something is most welcome.Will do the needful! 

Get ready for the Horn…

Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Cape Horn marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage; for many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried trade around the world. However, the waters around the Cape are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds, large waves, strong currents and icebergs; these dangers have made it notorious as a sailors' graveyard.

The need for ships to round Cape Horn was greatly reduced by the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. However, sailing around the Horn is widely regarded as one of the major challenges in yachting. Thus, a few recreational sailors continue to sail this route, sometimes as part of a circumnavigation of the globe, and almost all of these choosing routes through the channels to the north of the actual Cape (though many take a detour through the islands and anchor to wait for fair weather to actually visit Horn Island or even sail around it to replicate a rounding of this historic point). Several prominent ocean yacht races, notably the Volvo Ocean Race, the VELUX 5 Oceans and the Vendée Globe, sail around the world via the Horn, and speed records for round-the-world sailing are recognized for following this route..

The climate in the region is generally cool, owing to the southern latitude with an average annual temperature of 5.2 °C .Winds were reported to average 30 kms per hour (8.33 m/s; 18.64 mph), Cloud cover is generally high, with averages from 5.2 eighths in May and July to 6.4 eighths in December and January.

Visiting Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos, in Spanish) can be done on a day trip by helicopter or by charter power boat or sailboat, or by cruise ship. "Rounding the Horn" is traditionally understood to involve sailing from 50 degrees south on one coast to 50 degrees south on the other coast, the two benchmark latitudes of a Horn run, a considerably more difficult and time-consuming endeavor.

What do the Ships face at the Horn?

Several factors combine to make the passage around Cape Horn one of the most hazardous shipping routes in the world; the fierce sailing conditions prevalent in the Southern Ocean generally; the geography of the passage south of the Horn; and the extreme southern latitude of the Horn, at 56° south.

The prevailing winds in latitudes below 40° south can blow from west to east around the world almost uninterrupted by land, giving rise to the "roaring forties" and the even more wild "furious fifties" and "screaming sixties". These winds are hazardous enough in themselves that ships traveling east would tend to stay in the northern part of the forties (i.e. not far below 40° south latitude); however, rounding Cape Horn requires ships to press south to 56° south latitude, well into the zone of fiercest winds. These winds are further exacerbated at the Horn by the funneling effect of the Andes and the Antarctic Peninsula, which channel the winds into the relatively narrow Drake Passage.

The strong winds of the Southern Ocean give rise to correspondingly large waves; these waves can attain enormous size as they roll around the Southern Ocean, free of any interruption from land. At the Horn, however, these waves encounter an area of shallow water to the south of the Horn, which has the effect of making the waves shorter and steeper, greatly increasing the hazard to ships. In addition to these "normal" waves, the area west of the Horn is particularly notorious for rogue waves, which can attain heights of up to 30 metres (100 ft). The prevailing winds and currents create problems for vessels attempting to round the Horn against them, i.e. from east to west. Although this affects all vessels to some extent, it was a particularly serious problem for traditional sailing ships, which could make very little headway against the wind at the best of times; modern sailing boats are significantly more efficient to windward and can more reliably make a westward passage of the Horn, as they do in the Global Challenge race.

Rounding the Horn, under sail, on a non-stop passage of more than 3,000 miles passing through the latitude of 50 degrees south both east and west of Cape Horn grants sailors eligibility to apply for membership of the exclusive International Association of Cape horners an elite organisation whose origins lie amongst those who rounded the Horn as professional seamen serving upon the tall ships of the Clipper era. There are no exceptions to the strict joining criteria whose membership now includes members of crews from several notable Round the World Yacht races and others who have shared the same unique experience - the 'Mount Everest' of ocean sailing.

For detailed reading refer to the wiki link on Horn:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Horn

For the people, the general public, who would like to get there, can take trips to Cape Horn on Cruise ships. There are voyages available to Cape Horn that can be done even on sail boats. Companies dealing in adventure tours have packages on offer. Again, one can look up for those on the internet. Almost all Cruise liners have tours with a voyage ranging from 13 days to 50 days.
There are many hotels near Cape Horn, and their reviews can be checked on Tripadvisor or other sites that review hotels. 
As far as tourism is concerned, the tourists would be special interest group as it attracts people who are studying bio diversities in an ecosystem. The local community of the Cape Horn region consists of families and naval personnel of the Chilean navy, the indigenous Yahgan community, and individuals from areas throughout Chile. 

Liked this comment posted by someone who's been there,'' There is always a cape waiting for you in life, but if it is Cape Horn, the cape at the southern tip of the American continent and if you are lucky enough to round it, then you'll never forget it". 

Oh given an opportunity to round the Horn, .....don't know if I can do that on a sail boat...(I get sea sick) may be on an airplane I surely can. Look forward to that!

To know more about Lt. Cdr Tomy and his boat the Mhadei, follow the link below.

Check: www.sagarparikrama2.blogspot.com

             www.Facebook.com/www.mhadei.co.in

The pictures have been taken from various websites, if anyone has an objection regarding their use, they'd be promptly removed.