Rounding Cape Horn - Advice?

[imagine2frolic]

I would believe the term to round the horn in general means on the outside. You can always split hairs if you like. Did you earn the earring by going through the passage, or around the horn on the outside?.......i2f

[JP Gaillard]

It is a fairly old traveller and I have a furling boom which is quite heavy. when you tack or jibe just a tad too fast the strain on the traveller makes the blocks on the end of my traveller jump out. The unit is really old and I simply think that I have to update the whole thing there.

I sent an email to lewmar to see if they had a solution for easy upgrade - otherwise I'll have to shell out some $$$ to get myself a new system. It sucks.

See pictures on www.flickr.com/jp_gaillard . The end stop which is similar to a fiddle block and is bolted onto the end car with 3 flimsy screws just popped off. i put new screws in and managed to complete the journey but now I am nervous every time i tack!

[barnakiel]

Today you can leave your boat in the West Indies and jump on a charter one at Ushu then double the Horn in one day, without any risk (to your boat). Plenty of charter there.

b.

[osirissail]

#8 >>>So, if I departed Sydney, Au, passed through the Drake Passage, and made my next landfall at (say) Sidney, Au, having crossed all lines of longitude, I wouldn't have "officially" rounded the Horn. Who officiates traditions?<<<
- - Huh? Australia to Cape Horn and back to Australia? The Drake Passage is the waters between South America (Cape Horn) and Antartica. Drake Passage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Obviously you would be south of Cape Horn and qualify as rounding Cape Horn.
- - But the original question was sailing from the Caribbean around South America and up the western side. There are two channels through: the northern Straits of Magellan, and the southern Beagle Channel which take you just north of Cape Horn (Wollaston Islands). There are many articles about holing up at Port Williams to wait for a weather window to go south and circle the actual Cape Horn.
- - But be aware that Chile has instituted several years ago strict requirements for equipment and insurance to transit their area between Cape Horn and Puerto Montt. I believe it was instituted because of cruisers that were ill-prepared for the weather and harshness of the area and the Chileans got tired of rescuing these people.
- - If you want to sail around Cape Horn (not in your boat) they even have a sailboat charter operation down there: http://www.victory-cruises.com/tariII.html

[Factor]

50S to 50S is actually traditionally termed - DOUBLING the horn. Not that it matters, however you get from one ocean to the next is a good way if you make it without drama.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by Factor

50S to 50S is actually traditionally termed - DOUBLING the horn. Not that it matters, however you get from one ocean to the next is a good way if you make it without drama.

Just as an aside . . . some years ago the Pardey's put out a press release that they had 'doubled the horn' (they in fact had not done it 50 to 50, but stopped at puerto williams to wait for weather), and one of the most notable British sailing magazines published that they had "rounded the horn twice". They obviously has someone new on the typewriter that day.

I have never been able to find a good definition of what 'doubling' specifically means. You can 'double' and cape or point and as far as I can tell it just seems to mean to round it, nothing more or less.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

I have never been able to find a good definition of what 'doubling' specifically means. You can 'double' and cape or point and as far as I can tell it just seems to mean to round it, nothing more or less.

I always thought it was just some old fashioned term for going round a cape. But don't know why it was called that.

Doubling
The act of sailing round or passing beyond a cape or point or land.

Glossary of Nautical Terms