Cape Horn Cruises

European eyes first set sight on Cape Horn at the beginning of the 17th century. The French merchant, Isaac Le Maire, and the sailors, Guillermo Cornelio and Juan Schouten crossed the strait on January 24 1616.

They called the strait Le Maire and gave the name Statenlant (Land of the States) to the island they sighted to the east. They called it “land” believing it to be a peninsula of Terra Australis Incognita.

Five days later, on January 29, 1616, they rounded the cape that they named Höorn, thus opening a new route between the Atlantic and the Pacific. They sailed through the Pacific with no clear idea of their course until they arrived at Java and the Moluccas.

The association was founded in 1937 in Saint Malo (France) by a group of French captains whose first members were experienced seamen that had sailed around Cape Horn in command of the old merchant ships. Due to the passing of the majority of its members, the association was replaced by supporting organisations inspired by the same spirit of adventure.

The Chilean Association of Cape Horniers erected the Cape Horn monument in 1992, in memory of the seamen from every nation who have perished in the battle against the inclemency of nature in the southern seas, around the legendary Cape Horn.

To become an honorary member of the association you must touch the Cape Horn monument.

As you disembark your cruise onto a zodiac boat, and sail towards Cape Horn, you'll notice the authentic Cape Horn lighthouse on the horizon. It is the world's most southernly lighthouse.  As you reach the shore and clamber off onto the boardwalk, you'll be greeted by the resident lighthouse keeper - a naval serviceman. It s his job to man the lighthouse, and he lives on the island for a year or more at a time with his family. Their weekly food supply is delivered by the cruise on which you arrive, and they will invite you into the warm to see their home. It's a fascinating experience!

Although many tales exist of hazardous journeys and terrible storms around Cape Horn, and Darwin himself said that 'one sight of such a coast is enough to make a landsman dream for a week about shipwrecks, peril & death',  the reality is that over 90% of cruises do disembark at Cape Horn. It can certainly be windy, rainy, and cold, but this really only adds to the drama and excitement of visiting such a wild and remote destination. You really do feel like you are at the end of the world - but you are in safe hands exploring it.