Friday, February 23, 2007

Rounding Cape Horn, Part Deux


Talk about adventures in cruising...

Nordhavn announced this morning that, last week, the Nordahvn 57 Ice Dancer became the company's second vessel to successfully round Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America. The news comes just three weeks after the Nordhavn 46 Egret did the same—the first-ever Nordhavn to do so.

Due to the challenges posed by strong winds and currents, icebergs, and large waves, few production boats make it to Cape Horn, according to Nordhavn. And, interestingly, rounding Good Horn was not something that the crew on either vessel had intended to do; in fact, it was an afterthought for Egret's crew who, while cruising South America from the Med, fell so in love with the area that they decided to postpone cruising to their final destination of New Zealand in favor of exploring the region further. "We simply can't leave this last unspoiled cruising area...without spending time here," the owner said.

Is Cape Horn the next hot cruising ground? That remains to be seen, but Nordhavn's Jim Leishman sure thinks so. "A fabulous cruising ground awaits those inclined and equipped with the right vessel," he said, adding, "I think next year we'll see our boats in Antarctica."

Stay tuned...

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