Well, what thinks ye of seein’ the world, do you still want to go ‘round Cape Horn to see any more of it!? Can’t ye see the world where ya stand? – Moby Dick
Cape Horn has the reputation of being the most fearsome stretch of water in the world. Right up there with the Tasman Sea. Having now done both, I would take the Tasman Sea any day. Cape Horn has definitely earned her reputation.
Crossing Drake passage and rounding the Cape, we’re thrown into a force nine to ten gale. The waves break over our bow and the ship rattles with each massive pitch as we climb over the waves and crash down the other side. Not to mention the yaw is huge, because when we go sideways to the waves instead of head on (a smarter course really, as it eliminates the crashing), we roll. The deck disappears from under your feet and then comes back up to meet you all of a piece, making you feel like you’re climbing a mountain or running down it by turns.
In weather like this, the first instinct is to huddle up in your cabin with a good book, and let the constant swaying of the deck lull you to sleep. However, that’s not an option for most of us. Most of us have to leave the comparative steadiness of A-deck and venture up into the passenger decks – the show, after all, must always go on.
The roll means that when you look out the window one minute you see almost nothing but water, and the next you see almost nothing but sky. Some swear that looking at the horizon helps, some swear against it, but as long as I’m not on a large-class ship (like I was over the summer) I find the motion of the ocean doesn’t bother me as much as one would think. I’ve only been sea-sick 5 times in my life, all of which have been when my office was on deck ten forward –read, all the way up, all the way forward, subject to the worst of both the pitch and the yaw. In those days ,the only ones who were up there with me were the solo guitarist, the internet manager, and the bar and coffee shop tenders. Very rarely did guests choose to brave the weather.
Because the library is on deck 5 here instead, we have a lot of wave watchers, but for the most part it remains quiet. Except for the occasional desk drawer banging open unexpectedly. And at least once, the resounding CRASH as the porcelain plates from the coffee bar slide off the counter and explode into a million pieces on the tile floor.