Global Challenge
Week 10 - Around Cape Horn

Many of those who sign up for the Global Challenge yacht race will do so because it offers the opportunity for both experienced yachtsmen and novices to pit themselves against the conditions that prevail in the southern oceans.

Having enjoyed the varied delights of the stopover in Buenos Aires, thoughts turned to leg two of the race, which would take the fleet of twelve, 72ft yachts around Cape Horn and on to Wellington.

The reputation for fearsome storms on this route had concentrated a number of minds well before departure in late November. As a Met Office forecaster, this was also likely to be a much tougher leg than the route south from Portsmouth.

At least the weather broke us all in gently. The passage down the long, east coast of Argentina, was undertaken in clement conditions with shorts being the order of the day.

Sea temperatures soon began to fall, and as night air temperatures followed suit, so fleecy inners have been added to heavy duty sleeping bags. Layers were added to the rig on deck too, to the point where many of my crew now sport three pairs of socks, three layers of thermal leggings, and as many as five layers on the torso, all worn beneath a dry suit. 30 minutes on deck is usually long enough for most, although I find I have a higher tolerance of the cold than most.

Water temperatures are around 5C, which makes sail changing on the bow chilly work. Air temperatures vary wildly, depending on wind direction, but anything with a hint of southerly is mighty chilly, coming as it does from the Antarctic.

Forecast information is provided largely by HF radiofax from Valparaiso at the moment and also by proscribed internet sources, giving access to wind, pressure and satellite imagery. Information from this latter source is restricted by a budget to cover the cost of satellite transmission times, so data is rather limited. Whatever the source, the rounding of Cape Horn was always forecast to be a windy affair.

Such are the vagaries of the weather in this region that many of the yachts found themselves becalmed in the Maire Straits prior to rounding the Horn itself. Low pressures soon arrived from the west, however, and a 30knots, south-westerly, giving up to 50knots across the deck, soon made conditions tough.

The other notorious feature at the Horn is the size of the seas. A quick look at the map shows there is literally nothing to stop huge swells rolling around the world at these latitudes, save for the far south of Chile/Argentina.

Conditions are not improved as these swells suddenly arrive on the continental shelf after crossing the deeps of the South Pacific, which only serves to heighten the swells. Some of these must have touched 15-20m: a truly awesome sight I assure you.

There is now the small matter of some 4000 miles of ocean to cross before our arrival in Wellington in early January. If I don't catch you before, I hope you'll enjoy the festive season.