Lying at 55o 56’ South and 67o 19’ West Cape Horn is the southern most point of land of the Americas. It is in fact on an island called Cape Horn Island and the mere mention of its name as part of a voyage itinerary has made many sailors question their choice of profession.
On the initiative of the Chilean Association of Cape Horners, an impressively conspicuous monument was erected in December 1992 in memory of all those seafarers who perished rounding the Horn.
The work of Chilean sculptor José Balcells Eyquem the monument stands seven-metres high. Consisting of two stand alone pieces side by side, each piece is made from five steel plates.
Constructed to withstand winds of 175 knots (200kph or 125mph) it took more than two months to erect. On the road leading up to it there are two marble slabs.
One is engraved with details of the monuments dedication service the other carries the words of the Chilean poet Sara Vial, a poet from Valparaíso.
Translated it reads:
“I am the albatross that awaits you
at the end of the earth.
I am the forgotten soul
of the dead sailors
who sailed around Cape Horn
from all the seas of the world
But they did not die
in the furious waves,
today they fly on my wings,
towards eternity,
in the last crevice
of the Antarctic winds”
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