1. In the footsteps of Magellan.

Having already voyaged almost as far north as it is possible to sail, your correspondent is now planning to travel almost as far south as is possible by taking a journey around Cape Horn. 

The very words "around the Horn" were, in times gone by, enough to strike fear into the heart of many a sailor, but we are hopeful that as the trip will take place in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere's summer, the seas should be relatively calm and any storms will pass far to the south. Only time will tell!

Ever the amateur naturalists, we hope to view some wildlife along the way, including whales, dolphin,sea-lions, condor, llama  and albatross....and not forgetting a huge favourite of the Southern Ocean, penguins!

Thus we will place our lives in the very capable hands of the captain and crew of the Golden Princess as our adventure proper starts from Santiago in Chile and will end with a day on Copacabana Beach in Rio, Brazil some two weeks later. Not only do we have the excitement of exploring many new places, we will also be experiencing Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Eve in different countries and of course, all the celebrations that go along with those special days on board the ship.

Princess have (presumably for operational reasons) added an extra day and port of call to the voyage at no extra cost to us, so that can only be said to be a bonus. We have some exciting excursions already booked, details of which will become apparent as the trip progresses. 

A link to the Golden Princess bridgecam can be found below:

here

The packing list is proving to be somewhat of a challenge as we need to take clothes for summer temperatures of 30c and winter chills, winds and temperatures of under 10c. However, the trip begins very shortly with a couple of days in a wintery London before flying out to South America.

Much to look forward to and I hope all readers will enjoy the blog as it unfolds (internet connections permitting!