Cape Horn weather station Cape Horn with weather station Cape Horn end of the world Cape Horn end of the world2 Beagle channel local pilot Beagle channel wake Beagle channel 1 Beagle channel 2 Beagle channel 3 Beagle channel cormorants		Cape Horn is literally the end of the world.  It is the southernmost bit of land short of Antarctica anywhere in the world. The weather is abysmal all year round and there is no soil.  No one lives here except the residents of the weather station. South of the Cape the ocean, the Drake Passage, is usually a nightmare.  Since there is no land this far south, waves can circle the globe forever without being diminished by hitting land.  Early explorers often sank in the huge waves or had to delay for months to find acceptable weather. The other alternative is the Beagle Channel which threads its way through Patagonia to the Pacific without going into the open water around the Horn.  It was only slightly easier for sailing vessels since the channel is narrow, the winds often blow the wrong direction and it sometimes freezes in winter. We lucked into a very calm evening to round the Horn and then ducked back into the Beagle Channel.