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Around Cape Horn HOW is the weather??

Anniesails

By Anniesails,
in South America

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Duane T

Duane T

Posted
Posted
Will be sailing aboard the Golden Princess embarking on 2/1, was wondering how the weather has been for those recently sailing around Cape Horn. Does anyone know???

 

We were on the Golden Princess 2 weeks ago when it rounded Cape Horn on 12/27/2013. Although I've seen Youtube videos (and movies) about how rough the seas can be, we had calm seas and great weather. We sailed from the Pacific side to the Atlantic and it was sunny but cool. We had port side balcony rooms and got a great view during the entire passage. Princess Photographers will be on the top decks if you want a professional photo of Cape Horn with you in it and they give us a Certificate later on "certifying" we had sailed around the Cape Horn as a souvenir.

 

After we crossed over to the Atlantic side, we looked behind and saw dark clouds that eventually caught up with us and we had a light snow shower on the ship....so we really did have all 4 seasons on this voyage. From 100 degree weather in Rio to snow around the Cape (it also snowed for a short bit in Punta Arenas when we went to see the Penguins) you'll see a lot of different weather.

 

The only day I can say we experienced waves of any significance was our 1st day sailing south from Valparaiso, Chile and it was only that one day.

 

You'll have a fun voyage!

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donaldsc

donaldsc

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When we did it coming out of Antarctica, we had a force 10 gale -

 

"force 10 (whole gale)

48 - 55 kn.

Sea: very high waves with overhanging crests, sea takes white

appearance as foam is blown in very dense streaks, rolling is heavy & visibility is reduced"

 

The ship did a whole bunch of rolling and pitching and the people on board were mostly uncomfortable. I loved however as I like high seas. It was great fun watching them try to transfer the Chilean pilot to the ship, Must have taken them more than 1 hour. The only negative was that they cancelled our landing on Cape Horn.

 

DON

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Shorex

Shorex

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The real answer is -- unpredictable. It might be calm the day before you sail around and a gale the day after. Be mentally and physically prepared for the extremes and everything in between. FWIW, we will sailing around the Horn (not for the first time) on Feb 4. Que sera sera.

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t60

t60

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Posted
we did it two years ago and will do it again this year. When we did it last time it was the end of February. The seas were very calm. The weather was overcast with light rain, it was cool but not cold, just damp. Here is a pic.

 

Isn´t it strange, quite a few of us on the Princess cruise in Feb 2012 are ging back to Sth America again this year. We´re off in March, but the opposite direction this time, Valparaiso to Buenos Airies with HAL

 

Sandy in Spain

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vickie_bernie

vickie_bernie

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Posted
Isn´t it strange, quite a few of us on the Princess cruise in Feb 2012 are ging back to Sth America again this year. We´re off in March, but the opposite direction this time, Valparaiso to Buenos Airies with HAL

 

Sandy in Spain

 

i noticed that Sandy... that was an amazing voyage. We loved it so much we couldn't wait to go back.

 

hope you have a wonderful trip.

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Fattony

Fattony

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Posted (edited)

No one can say for sure. Unpredictable, for sure. When we took the Star Princess from BA to Valparaiso, in 2006, I was so worried about the Cape (plus wanted to do some traveling in southern Argentina, which my wife had already done years ago), that I arranged to disembark in Montevideo and re-board in Ushuaia. Enjoyed my trips. My wife said the weather wasn't too bad at the Cape, but it was bad enough that the ship did not circle all the way around the rock, but turned back part way and then continued on its way to Ushuaia. That cruise's worst weather was after Punta Arenas, as we hit a Pacific storm. That was the only time they shut access to the outside decks, and many people got ill. We did get hail between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas.

 

I did okay during the storm, with the help of Dramamine (ended up sleeping a lot). When I went to eat in the main dining room, I just tried to avoid looking at the big waves, or even thinking about them, though my wife occasionally excitedly exclaimed "Look at that wave!" Both my wife andI bought the metal/magnetic bracelets sold in the ship's gift shop. She felt they made a real difference.

 

Some people have calm seas virtually the whole way. Cape Horn gets the attention, in part due to history (e.g., the Bounty, which attempted to round Cape Horn, gave up and headed to Tahiti via the Cape of Good Hope), but it's certainly not always the worst part of a cruise. And ships going to Antarctica (which are often smaller than your ship), may hit far worse weather.

 

Ultimately, it's up to the ship's captain to decide whether to go around the Horn.

Edited by Fattony
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boblin

boblin

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Just rounded Cape Horn 11 days ago on the Golden Princess. Weather was surprisingly good, sunny, maybe 10C. Seas were calm. Infinity was also there nearby. An awesome experience! We all got certificates to the effect that we had rounded the Cape.

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Duane T

Duane T

Posted
Posted
Just rounded Cape Horn 11 days ago on the Golden Princess. Weather was surprisingly good, sunny, maybe 10C. Seas were calm. Infinity was also there nearby. An awesome experience! We all got certificates to the effect that we had rounded the Cape.

 

My wife was really happy the Golden Princess gave us the Certificate! She already bought a frame and hung it on the wall next to her Honolulu Marathon Finisher Certificate!

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Fattony

Fattony

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If conditions are bad enough, the captain will opt to forego the Horn. That's not a probability, but a possibility. Same applies to port visits. Safety is paramount. I met our ship again at Ushuaia, but I had to take the chance that it might not dock, and a couple of weeks beforehand the seas had been rough enough that a cruise ship stayed away from port and tenders were used to transport passengers to the harbor (not everyone opted to do that). When our ship, the Star Princess, docked at Ushuaia, seas were quite calm.

Edited by Fattony
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