The Chilean Navy guarded the Barcelona World Race boats around Cape Horn, one of the world’s most dangerous sea passages.
The Chilean Navy recently provided security to boats traveling around Cape Horn, one of the world’s most dangerous sea passages, during the Barcelona World Race, organized by the Oceanic Foundation in Barcelona (FNOB).
The 23,000-mile journey, considered one of the most extreme and dangerous in the world, starts and finishes in Barcelona, Spain and lasts about three months. A crew of two sailors per boat compete aboard IMOCA (International Monohull Open Class Association) 60 yachts, which are 18 meters long and specially designed for solo or double ocean sailing.
Eight boats departed on December 31, 2014, but The Hugo Boss, which was in first place, was eliminated January 14 after its mast toppled over and broke. The yachts are expected to return in late March. The current Barcelona World race is the third edition of the competition, which Frenchman Jean-Pierre Dick and Ireland’s Damian Foxall won in its first edition in 2007-2008. Their record time of 92 days, 9 hours, 49 minutes and 49 seconds is expected to be broken this year because the new route is 2,000 miles shorter.
Chilean Navy welcomes first boat to pass Cape Horn
As the first yacht — the French sailing vessel Cheminées Poujoulat — passed Cape Horn on February 24, the Chilean Navy sent it a message: “Welcome to Cape Horn, we will be there in case of any problems, you should know that is the world’s most dangerous place.” The area is known to be particularly hazardous due to strong winds, large waves, rough currents, and icebergs — all dangers that made Cape Horn notorious as a sailors’ graveyard, according to barcelonaworldrace
. org
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Four days later, the Neutrogena — manned by Chilean Jose Muñoz, the only Latin American in the competition, and Guillermo Antadill of Spain — also rounded Cape Horn. The vessels came under the protection of the Chilean Navy Search and Rescue Service (MRCC), having crossed the 130th west meridian in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The MRCC monitors in real time all ships that ply the area of SAR (Safe and Rescue) responsibility that Chile has an international mandate to protect. This is a considerable task, said Maritime Governor (S) Ricardo Concha, commander of the Chilean Navy: “If you consider that, just in the southern area, the space under the Maritime Authority of Punta Arenas is 12 million square kilometers.”
About 100 Chilean Navy sailors providing protection
The Chilean Navy is conducting important aspects of this task at the Port Authority base in Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams, which serves as the center of operations for the mission to protect the Barcelona World Race boaters.
The monitoring operation includes Navy Hydrographic Service Patrol PSH-77 Corneta Cabrales, under the command of Lieutenant Ivan Stenger, and a helicopter with rescue swimmers aboard. Additionally, specialized units are on hand to respond to maritime emergencies; for example, speedboats with support equipment were stationed at the Diego Ramirez and Cape Horn lighthouses.
The Chilean Navy has experience protecting boats that sail via Cape Horn in racing competitions, providing security for the Volvo Ocean Race, the VELUX 5Oceans and the Vendée Globe.
“The Navy not only provides protection to the races, but all other Naval or private, domestic, and foreign vessels that ply the waters of Cape Horn and the entire national maritime space,” a Navy spokesman said. “All races taking place in our maritime space are guarded by the institution.”
Race organizers express gratitude to Navy
During the protection mission, the Chilean Navy allowed a group of race organizers to board the Hydrographic Service Patrol PSH-77 Corneta Cabrales to watch boats pass Cape Horn.
“It has been an extraordinary experience to closely watch the passage of ships in such a difficult area as Cape Horn. And it is especially exciting to do it onboard the Chilean Navy patrol boat Cabrales, where we received a great deal of assistance from the crew,” Carlos Clastre, a Barcelona World Race official, told the Third Naval Area Commander-in-Chief, Rear Admiral Felipe García-Huidobro, during an appreciation meeting.
“For us as seafarers it was impressive to see the outstanding quality of the service that the Chilean Navy provides to ensure the safety of navigation in one of the most difficult areas of the world.”
Chilean Navy protects large geographic regions
The Navy provides security for Chile’s more than 4,300 kilometers of Pacific coastline, as well as the extensive coastline of the Chilean Antarctic Territory, which extends to the South Pole. It also protects an Exclusive Economic Zone of approximately 3.5 million square kilometers, equivalent to more than five times the area of the South American mainland.
“The Navy is required to contribute to the development of sea power in Chile, providing safe navigation, promoting maritime activities and port development, mapping and maintaining aids to navigation, and performing inspections and surveillance that give security to human life at sea,” the Navy’s website reports.
The Cape Horn in southern Chile is one of the most ecologically pristine areas of the world, where “maritime climatic conditions are often very complicated,” a Chilean Navy spokesman told Diálogo
.
The Chilean Navy recently provided security to boats traveling around Cape Horn, one of the world’s most dangerous sea passages, during the Barcelona World Race, organized by the Oceanic Foundation in Barcelona (FNOB).
The 23,000-mile journey, considered one of the most extreme and dangerous in the world, starts and finishes in Barcelona, Spain and lasts about three months. A crew of two sailors per boat compete aboard IMOCA (International Monohull Open Class Association) 60 yachts, which are 18 meters long and specially designed for solo or double ocean sailing.
Eight boats departed on December 31, 2014, but The Hugo Boss, which was in first place, was eliminated January 14 after its mast toppled over and broke. The yachts are expected to return in late March. The current Barcelona World race is the third edition of the competition, which Frenchman Jean-Pierre Dick and Ireland’s Damian Foxall won in its first edition in 2007-2008. Their record time of 92 days, 9 hours, 49 minutes and 49 seconds is expected to be broken this year because the new route is 2,000 miles shorter.
Chilean Navy welcomes first boat to pass Cape Horn
As the first yacht — the French sailing vessel Cheminées Poujoulat — passed Cape Horn on February 24, the Chilean Navy sent it a message: “Welcome to Cape Horn, we will be there in case of any problems, you should know that is the world’s most dangerous place.” The area is known to be particularly hazardous due to strong winds, large waves, rough currents, and icebergs — all dangers that made Cape Horn notorious as a sailors’ graveyard, according to barcelonaworldrace
. org
.
Four days later, the Neutrogena — manned by Chilean Jose Muñoz, the only Latin American in the competition, and Guillermo Antadill of Spain — also rounded Cape Horn. The vessels came under the protection of the Chilean Navy Search and Rescue Service (MRCC), having crossed the 130th west meridian in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The MRCC monitors in real time all ships that ply the area of SAR (Safe and Rescue) responsibility that Chile has an international mandate to protect. This is a considerable task, said Maritime Governor (S) Ricardo Concha, commander of the Chilean Navy: “If you consider that, just in the southern area, the space under the Maritime Authority of Punta Arenas is 12 million square kilometers.”
About 100 Chilean Navy sailors providing protection
The Chilean Navy is conducting important aspects of this task at the Port Authority base in Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams, which serves as the center of operations for the mission to protect the Barcelona World Race boaters.
The monitoring operation includes Navy Hydrographic Service Patrol PSH-77 Corneta Cabrales, under the command of Lieutenant Ivan Stenger, and a helicopter with rescue swimmers aboard. Additionally, specialized units are on hand to respond to maritime emergencies; for example, speedboats with support equipment were stationed at the Diego Ramirez and Cape Horn lighthouses.
The Chilean Navy has experience protecting boats that sail via Cape Horn in racing competitions, providing security for the Volvo Ocean Race, the VELUX 5Oceans and the Vendée Globe.
“The Navy not only provides protection to the races, but all other Naval or private, domestic, and foreign vessels that ply the waters of Cape Horn and the entire national maritime space,” a Navy spokesman said. “All races taking place in our maritime space are guarded by the institution.”
Race organizers express gratitude to Navy
During the protection mission, the Chilean Navy allowed a group of race organizers to board the Hydrographic Service Patrol PSH-77 Corneta Cabrales to watch boats pass Cape Horn.
“It has been an extraordinary experience to closely watch the passage of ships in such a difficult area as Cape Horn. And it is especially exciting to do it onboard the Chilean Navy patrol boat Cabrales, where we received a great deal of assistance from the crew,” Carlos Clastre, a Barcelona World Race official, told the Third Naval Area Commander-in-Chief, Rear Admiral Felipe García-Huidobro, during an appreciation meeting.
“For us as seafarers it was impressive to see the outstanding quality of the service that the Chilean Navy provides to ensure the safety of navigation in one of the most difficult areas of the world.”
Chilean Navy protects large geographic regions
The Navy provides security for Chile’s more than 4,300 kilometers of Pacific coastline, as well as the extensive coastline of the Chilean Antarctic Territory, which extends to the South Pole. It also protects an Exclusive Economic Zone of approximately 3.5 million square kilometers, equivalent to more than five times the area of the South American mainland.
“The Navy is required to contribute to the development of sea power in Chile, providing safe navigation, promoting maritime activities and port development, mapping and maintaining aids to navigation, and performing inspections and surveillance that give security to human life at sea,” the Navy’s website reports.
The Cape Horn in southern Chile is one of the most ecologically pristine areas of the world, where “maritime climatic conditions are often very complicated,” a Chilean Navy spokesman told Diálogo
.
I find the joint efforts by Latin American countries for the welfare of all very interesting. I believe Brazil should be included in this set of operations. I have some plans to be implemented in the region of the Amazon Nations, and I’d like to receive support from these countries.