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The icy waters at 55.56' south and 67.19' west are the graveyard of nearly 10,000 souls and 800 vessels. Cape Horn. It is the stuff of legends, of well-thumbed pages of adventure novels, and tall tales told in the bar by salty old souls surrounded by thirsty ears; ears eager to hear the brave words of those who dare, their tales of wind and wave-lashed boats with tattered rags of sails, of facing down the rocky promontory at the bottom of the continent with its patrol of ice and wind. These are the magnetic fears of sailing life. These are the tests of boat and man—vessel and crew; these are the true definitions of bragging rights. The completion of the construction of the Panama Canal in 1914 meant that sailors could pass from the Atlantic to the Pacific (or vice versa) without becoming high latitude sailors. The legendary, mythical Cape Horn became a choice. With the flooding of the Panama Canal, sailing around the Horn became the most noble measure of navigation and seamanship. The International Association of Cape Horners recognizes men and women "who round the Horn", but to be a Cape Horner, "The rounding of the Horn will have been part of a non-stop passage under sail of at least 3000 nautical miles. Their course must have passed through the latitude of fifty degrees south, both east and west of Cape Horn." Extraordinary feats deserve and command respect; traditions are the order of the day. It is customary when rounding the Horn to salute or toast the 10,000 souls lost in the extremes of the southern ocean "To the men who died here." The modern Cape Horn sailor symbolically wears a gold hoop in his ear. Not so long ago, seamen wore the golden earring to pay for a decent burial if lost at sea and washed ashore, a type of early insurance. On becoming a Cape Horner, a sailor has won the right to""spit into the wind". He is no longer an ordinary man; windward rules do not apply. Today, a quick internet search will yield a number of adventure and sailing charters based in southernmost Chile that will take you round the Horn and into the southern ocean. It is still, by any measure, a feat of skill and courage, fueled by imagination. Men who, as boys, read the stories of Conrad and Melville by flashlight under the covers, are able, as adults, to board an airplane, and in a matter of a day be viewing Cape Horn through a plexiglass bubble on an expedition boat. Warm, and dry. This is both a wonder and a cause for concern. The physical environment of the Cape Horn area is a rare and fragile ecosystem, preserved in most part because of the difficulty of access and comfort that the area affords. This is changing. Not only is the legendary Horn becoming a tourist mecca, but more and more scientists are drawn to its relatively unspoiled natural beauty. A conscientious effort to manage scientific study in the area has been identified by the Omora Foundation, which hopes to engineer the establishment of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, dedicated to the research and preservation of the Cape Horn area. British Columbia sailor/scientists Barry and Amanda Glickman, on an extended sabbatical from the University of Victoria, have made a volunteer commitment for the next 18 months to assist in the development of the Biosphere. Barry is the "on the ground" director of the Foundation, which last year hosted over 30 scientists in this unique and challenging environment. Chile has been home for the Glickmans and their 49' aluminum Trintella Yacht Darwin's Passage since October 2003. Veteran local cruisers, they purchase Darwin's Passage in Florida in the spring of 2000 and spent the next two years doing an extensive refit in Trinidad. After leaving Trinidad,Darwin's Passage sailed the waters off Venezuela, Dutch Antilles, San Blas, Panama, Galapagos, and Easter Island, before heading to the Juan Fernandez Islands of Chile. For a year, Barry and Amanda made Puerto Montt their home base, and cruised the craggy beauty of the southern fjords. At the end of 2004, Darwin's Passage headed south once more, making their new base Puerto Williams, 80 miles from Cape Horn, and home of the Omora Ethnobotanical Park. This Park is dedicated to the conservation and rational development of the Cape Horn area. As a fund raising effort for the Foundation, the Glickman's are offering a unique and exciting charter experience. Barry says, "Amanda and I are offering Darwin's Passage for charter with the income to be donated to the Foundation. As we are working on a book following the wake of the HMS Beagle, we feel that we can offer something unique. This is the region where Charles Darwin spent more than six months exploring with Captain Fitzroy on the HMS Beagle." In 1829, the young Fitzroy commanded the Beagle on a British Admiralty expedition to survey the island and channels and reefs on the Pacific side of the Horn; his mission was to produce accurate navigational charts of the area, using the most basic of survey tools, a leadline and compass. During the expedition, one of his advance boats was stolen by a group of Alacaluf Indians. 
More from Barry: "We are currently researching the places that Fitzroy explored while trying to recover the whaleboat that was stolen on the west end of Beagle Channel.This event lead to the taking of several dozen hostages (seldom remembered) that resulted in four captives being shipped to England. Darwin's exposure to the three survivors on their return voyage had a profound impact. It was Darwin's contact and ultimate appreciation of this indigenous group that lead him to link the animal and human worlds in a way that Europeans had been able to do. It is said that if Darwin had not made the acquaintance of Jemmy Button, he would not have written the Descent of Man linking human and primate evolution."
Barry and Amanda have been conducting careful research on Darwin and Fitzroy's activities in the region, even involving a local archeologist. They will host what is sure to be a remarkable experience aboard the well-fitted Darwin's Passage during this unique 16-day charter through this extraordinarily beautiful region of fjords and glaciers. It is an opportunity not only for adventure, but to support the thoughtful recognition, exploration and preservation of one of the planet's most compelling and particular eco-systems.
Cape Horn—Maybe it's time to stop reading under the covers. Maybe it's time to pierce an ear, wear a gold hoop and raise a glass to the souls who dared. Go ahead, spit into the wind. For information on the Omora Foundation and the Omora Ethnobotanical Park, visit: www.cabodehornos.org/english/welcome.htm. For more on S/Y Darwin's Passage, visit www.darwinspassage.org. Kathy Taylor is the editor of Currents, the newsletter of the Bluewater Cruising Association. www.bluewatercruising.org 
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