South American Journey - Day 8

On Sunday we sailed to Cape Horn, the southern most land area on the South American continent. At that point we were just 400 miles north of Antarctica. We felt like we were at the end of the world!

By this point the waves were 9 to 10 feet high and put on a good show. Truthfully, it was a beautiful day. One of the crew mentioned that it was the smoothest trip he had ever made around the Horn.

So far the weather on this trip has been spectacular. Even earlier in the day it was cloudy but the clouds would come and go. The shore was rugged.

The albatross is a common bird in the area. Of course to mariners, the albatross is a symbol of bad luck. They often follow ships. They are very efficient gliders and stay at sea for months or even years at a time. We heard that albatrosses would often watch for men that were swept overboard and pick at the man mercilessly.

Cape Horn is an island off of the southern tip of the continent. It is marked by a Chilean flag, a weather station and a monument that is dedicated to the honor of those who died in these waters. In the years before ships had steel hulls and before the Panama canal was built over one thousand ships sank in these waters and 15,000 sailors lost their lives.

My parents, who were missionaries in South America for thirty-six years lived about 200 miles north of here in Punta Arenas, Chile for ten years. I often heard Pop that they were the world's southern most Southern Baptist missionaries. They certainly believed that they were fulfilling literally the great commission:

"Go ye therefore and teach all men whatsoever I have taught you baptizing them in the name of The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost and lo I will be with you even unto the ends of the earth."
Matthew 28: 18-19