The most significant landmark in sailing lore is Cape Horn. This point of land which lies at the extreme tip of South America is also the focus of the Guy Cotten Cape Horn Trophy.
Guy Cotten is a French foulweather gear maker. They award a trophy to the first boat in each class to round Cape Horn. In this Around Alone, the Class I winner of the Guy Cotten Trophy is Somewhere. The first Class II boat was Cray Valley.
Cape Horn
One way to tell the significance of rounding Cape Horn is that each skipper has mentioned it in e-mail reports upon rounding. The first boat to the Horn was Somewhere. Upon rounding Cape Horn for the 2nd time, Marc Thiercelin said: ""To find out what I really think of the Horn, let's wait for my third passage of this bloody and historic cape. For the moment, it's a place that remains mysterious to me, and that's for the best. That's the way I like it." Fila was the next boat to double Cape Horn. Giovanni Soldini had a cheerful rounding: "Four years ago I did it in total darkness and couldn't see a thing. But yesterday even the sun was shining!"
Cray Valley clinched the Class II Cotten Cape Horn award by rounding first in the 50 foot and under class. J.P. Mouligne was low key about his rounding: "I passed Cape Horn at 1630 gmt(1130 EST?). All well very windy and bouncy." Next came Magellan Alpha. Mike Garside's shore team send out a special bulletin. In the bulletin Garside reported: "At 1200Z on 27 February, 0700 local time, my alarm clock woke me from the sleep of the dead. I rolled out of my bunk and climbed out of the companion way into the cockpit. The wind was light and the sea sparkled under the light from the early morning sun. And there, through the mist covered horizon on my port beam, reared the mighty rock. Cape Horn." The last boat to round Cape Horn and report in was Balance Bar. Brad Van Liew described his Cape Horn experience: "I rounded the Horn early in the daylight hours yesterday and the weather allowed me to go as close as I wanted which was a thrill. It is just a big black and green rock but the fact that it is also the southernmost point of the settled world makes it pretty special."
Next to round was Wind of Change. Russian skipper Viktor Yazykov mused on the meaning of a Cape Horn rounding to someone who grew up in the Soviet Union, "This place is pretty far away from Russia. In previous Russia, it was like a star."You can see it, but you cannot reach it. Before it was impossible. So it is something very different for the rest of the world."
Shuten Dojhi II rounded the Horn Friday March 12th. For both the boat and Minoru Saito it was the third rounding of Cape Horn. Compared to others it was a gentle one: " "I had smooth rounding on 3rd, that this time has no much winds, no rough sea not so cold."
Next to round was Neal Petersen sailing No Barriers on Saturday March 13th. For Neal this was his 1st Cape Horn rounding. When Neal sees Cape Horn he sees, "I look upon the land that has been my 17 year old dream. I am 31 years old, and everything I have dreamt of, I have achieved." Soon after his rounding, Neal was becalmed and able to study Cape Horn. What did he see? Neal says, " "I could see the sun on the tall peaks of Cape Horn, but on the slopes closest to me, there was not one single tree. The only form of habitation was the lighthouse."
Neil Hunter became the last officially racing skipper to round Cape Horn 19 March. Neil is sailing Paladin 2. He described it this way: "Well we are finally here. The Cobo de Hornos, Cape Horn, or Horny, or "the rock at the end of the world", is less than 10 miles away looming large to port with the other islands scattered around on the horizon. The sun is coming out and the island looks awesome, like the site of the "One Tree" in Thomas Covenants travels. Moments like this one comes up with weird ideas like building a restaurant on it with attached bed and breakfast and calling it "the restaurant at the end of the universe on the rock at the end of the world". Must talk to the Chilean authorities about it when I get back.
Although no longer officially racing Russian adventurer Fedor Konioukhov has rounded Cape Horn. Fedor's rounding report is as follows: "NEAR CAPE HORN WAS REAL HELL, AND IT STILL GO ON: STRONG WIND, BIG WAVES, SNOW, RAIN, FROST -- LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD." Fedor didn't enjoy Cape Horn as he imagined, "I had a lot of ideas how to celebrate this moment, but when I was approaching in the 50 knots wind to the Cape - it was hard work only on board." This is certainly the image of Cape Horn that many people have and Fedor has now had the opportunity to confirm it.
The final boat to round Cape Horn was unofficial Around Alone sailor Robin Davie on South Carolina. Davie gave this take on Cape Horn: "Cape Horn 17 miles to the north, and too far away see. Its blowing cats and dogs out there tonight, rain and about 5 mile visibility, so we aren't going to see it - but I know its there." As this is Davie's 3rd Around Alone this is his 3rd doubling of the Horn. His first rounding was in 1990-91, "Eight years ago, in my first race we sailed up to within half a mile of the Horn before we could see it in a murky dawn of rain fog and poor visibility." In 1994-95 as this time, Davie did not get a visual on Cape Horn. However, to Davie any rounding of Cape Horn is, "...a truly memorable occasion - like the mountaineer reaching the top of Everest - and is so indelibly etched in my memory, that it matters not a bit that I didn't see the Horn 4 years ago, and won't see it this time either."
Perhaps the ultimate summation of Cape Horn was give by the Class II winner of the 94-95 Around Alone. He said Cape Horn is "a great place to send the mother-in-law"