Southern Ocean · great capes
Cape Horn
Approaches, roundings and returns to Cape Horn during different stages of the voyage.
Publications are arranged chronologically – from the earliest to the most recent. Select a title to open the full entry.
Farewell, French Polynesia! News from On Board
Farewell, French Polynesia! News from on board. We are into our third day on the open ocean. The weather is favourable for doing chores aboard: the swell is slight, and the rain has taken…
And Weather a Dead Calm... Day Five in the Ocean
And weather a dead calm... Day five in the ocean. Since morning, a dead calm and heat in every direction. But at least breakfast turned out normally familiar, just like ashore. I fried up…
Answering Your Questions. Ocean, Day Six
Answering your questions. Ocean, day six. News via satellite link. At last! We’ve finally got the wind we’ve been waiting for. Admittedly, it’s coming straight at us. It’s blowing 15 knot…
A Tour of the Yacht Lady Mary. Part 2. What’s Outside
Yacht Tour, Part 2 — What’s Outside An overview of the Nauticat 40 sailing yacht. This tour of the round-the-world sailing yacht Lady Mary was filmed during an ocean passage. The captain,…
In Search of Captain Grant. The Expedition
In Search of Captain Grant. The Expedition If anyone thought we were a crazy family before, they’ll have even more reason to think so now. Make yourselves comfortable. Unfold the charts. …
How the Sailor Agreed to Spend Two Months at Sea
How the sailor agreed to spend two months at sea. When, on 22 November, obeying the wind and the madness of explorers, we turned south, I wondered: Hmm, what about provisions? We’ve got e…
Restocking and an Encounter with the Police
Restocking and an encounter with the police. The last land. Little Rimatara, one of the Austral Islands lying on the 22nd parallel, was just over a hundred miles away. By evening we had t…
A Visa We Don’t Need for a Country We Weren’t Planning to Visit
A visa we don’t need for a country we weren’t planning to visit. Half an hour before we were due to weigh anchor, a police siren started wailing from shore. — When are you leaving? — In h…
Expedition Housekeeping. 14 Days in the Ocean
Expedition housekeeping. 14 days in the ocean. Today we crossed 28 degrees south latitude; we haven’t ventured this far south before. When we were approaching Easter Island, which lies on…
The Expedition’s First Waypoint. Wachusett, the Phantom Island
The expedition’s first waypoint. Wachusett, the phantom island. The thirty-second parallel. The point where we had to check in and find out whether the phantom island actually existed app…
South Pacific, Day 18. In the Realm of Jules Verne
South Pacific, Day 18. In the Realm of Jules Verne. Five in the morning. It’s +19 in the yaranga, +16 outside the yaranga. Still quite warm, although the captain is standing watch in a fl…
Why We Are Here. The Phantom Island of Ernest Legouvé
Why We Are Here. The Phantom Island of Ernest Legouvé. The adult-and-child crew of the sailing yacht Lady Mary continues its scientific research expedition to the phantom reefs of the Sou…
A Sailor’s Birthday
A sailor’s birthday. “If my birthday falls during the passage, it’ll be the worst birthday of my life!” That was what Nastya used to say back when, like normal people, we were planning to…
Tomorrow There Was a Wave... A Storm and a Celebration
Tomorrow there was a wave... A storm and a celebration. Tropical Cyclone Owen, bearing its proud name, began spinning up somewhere near New Caledonia, in the western Pacific. Although Lad…
Glory to the Shore Team and the Sunny Weather!
What is a sailor without support from shore? A lonely wanderer. But when people on the mainland love you, wait for you and keep their finger on the pulse, no storm can faze a sailor. Our …
The 37th Parallel. Expedition Report. And a Dream
The 37th Parallel. Expedition Report. And a Dream. The expedition to the phantom reefs of the South Pacific has entered the home stretch. There are 75 miles left to the last reported coor…
Rainy Season on a Yacht
Rainy Season on a Yacht How to live in a floating home when the water is not only below and around you, but falling from the sky as well. How the crew keeps busy so they don’t die of bore…
A Month in the Ocean: Provisions and Breakdowns Aboard
Yesterday we passed the last of the possible locations of Maria Theresa Reef. And we can state with full confidence: there are no phantom reefs in the South Pacific. More precisely, there…
The Crew Is in Touch! Answers to Your Questions
The crew is in touch! Answers to your questions. Hello, friends! We are still in the ocean, almost a month’s passage from any land. Thank you so much for writing us letters and comments. …
Entering the Forties! Somewhere, They’re Roasting the Christmas Goose
Entering the forties! Somewhere, they’re roasting the Christmas goose. Today is Christmas Eve throughout the Catholic world. A couple of billion people are roasting geese, lighting candle…
50 Shades of Grey. Ocean Grey.
50 shades of grey. Ocean grey. Today’s satellite chronicles of the expedition will begin with numbers and... grey. Day 36 of the passage. 43 degrees south latitude, 132 degrees west longi…
About the Naked People of Tierra del Fuego and the Clothed People on the Yacht
About the naked people of Tierra del Fuego and the clothed people on the yacht. 45 degrees south latitude. According to our track, we have covered 3,350 nautical miles, or 6,030 km, since…
I Asked You, Why Are You Climbing the Mountain? — The Young Sailors Answer
I asked you, why are you climbing the mountain? The young sailors answer. I’m going to write this post without jokes or wisecracks, so that a carefully considered decision doesn’t look fr…
How to Reach Cape Horn. A Philosophy of Growth
How to Reach Cape Horn. A Philosophy of Growth. This satellite report was written en route to Cape Horn across the South Pacific. It came as I was reflecting on why, just six months ago, …
The Pole of Inaccessibility. New Year at Point Nemo
The Pole of Inaccessibility. New Year at Point Nemo. January 1, 6 a.m. Beneath the little Christmas tree there is only one present: a chocolate bar for the young sailors, with a line divi…
46 Days in the Southern Ocean
46 days in the Southern Ocean. If the sun stares down at you for two days running in the Southern Ocean, it means it’s time to wrap things up. Usually, sunny spells are shorter and more f…
Christmas in Six-Metre Waves
Christmas in six-metre waves. The Furious Fifties seem to have realised that they are carrying not only fish and petrels on their backs. Why else would they be driving us between the brea…
What Inspires Us. The Crew Answers Your Questions
What inspires us. The crew answers your questions. We decided to use this sort of epigraph for our reports, for everyone who has only just joined us. Friends, our circumnavigation has not…
56° South, and 50 Days on an Ocean Passage
56° South, and 50 days on an ocean passage. A preface for everyone who has only recently joined us. Friends, our circumnavigation has not veered off course, come to a halt, or even slowed…
The Roaring Fifties. It Has Begun
The Roaring Fifties. It has begun. Thirty knots of wind on the beam. Some of the waves, as big as houses, not only lash over the coachroof but also come crashing into the cockpit in littl…
666 Miles to Cape Horn
666 miles to Cape Horn. 53 days in the ocean. Transmitted by satellite. For the first month and a half, we were prepared for a veery long journey across the ocean, and we didn’t pay much …
Drifting in the Fog. Day 54
Drifting in the fog. Day 54. 570 miles to Cape Horn. A momentous event occurred during the night: we exceeded the maximum track size in the navigation software. We’ve now covered more tha…
The Hardest Part of the Journey. Day 56
The hardest part of the journey. Day 56. Today we’re being tossed about mercilessly, and it’s even making us seasick, so this report will probably come out rather muddled. After a full da…
10 Degrees from the Antarctic Circle. Day 58
10 degrees from the Antarctic Circle. Day 58. For days now, Andryukha has been trying to talk us into dropping 3 degrees farther south and taking just a tiny peek into the 60s. I hold him…
Just Before Cape Horn!
Just before Cape Horn! The morning of January 18. 140 miles to the Horn. During the day we’ll reach the continental shelf and see what happens to the waves there. The forecast we received…
Cape Horn
Cape Horn 5:30 a.m. Eleven miles to Cape Horn. It is already visible on the radar, and in clear weather we would be able to see it with our own eyes. The sun is trying to break through th…
The End of the Earth and the Come-Down
The End of the Earth and the Come-Down Cape Horn is behind us. I have mixed feelings. And that frightens me. Feeling No. 1 is wonderful: We made it—the land really does exist! It turns ou…
Between Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn
Between Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. Snow-capped peaks and penguin shores. How a warship sunk near Cape Horn is being used, and how much it costs to stay there. Coming down after the p…
Cape Horn by Yacht with Children
Cape Horn by Yacht with Children The stormiest place on the planet. 20-metre waves, thousands of shipwrecks, more than 800 vessels lost. ✅Subscribe to the channel: //bit.ly/Follow_Travely…
We’ve Entered the Strait of Magellan!
We’ve entered the Strait of Magellan! The entire sky, the summits of the snow-covered mountains and the waters of the Magdalena Channel are flooded with sunlight. Straight ahead lies a ne…
The Former Southernmost
The Former Southernmost The Arctic Wolf from the Strait of Magellan. The fishing village of Mansa and the former southernmost city on the planet. Fellow Russians in the roadstead. The onl…
Tracking Systems—or How to Follow Our Route
Tracking Systems—or How to Follow Our Route. Satellite Tracker Iridium360 Rockstar We decided to answer this frequently asked question separately. On our previous challenging passages acr…
The Only City on the Strait of Magellan
The Only City on the Strait of Magellan Epigraph: — “You need a psychotherapy session,” I intone, mystically waving my hands over the captain’s feet sticking out from under the blanket. “…
Visiting the Volk Arktiki
Visiting the Volk Arktiki. You arrive in the Strait of Magellan, at a port at the end of the world, and among the few other vessels AIS shows a ship with the suspiciously familiar name Vo…
The Strait of Magellan Successfully Negotiated!
The Strait of Magellan has been successfully negotiated! Sent via satellite. Our last foray ashore happened two days before we set off into the most terrifying of all romantic straits. At…
Riding Out the Storm. Reports from On Board
Riding out the storm. Reports from on board. “Well, everything’s fine here,” the captain says cheerfully. “Nastya, who doesn’t get seasick, cooked dinner; we’re eating, watching a film, i…
Third Day of a Severe Storm. The Furious Fifties
Third day of a severe storm. The Furious Fifties. “Here they don’t say storms like that, they say storms like this,” my inner voice sings in the darkness of the night. The deck drops away…
Aftermath of the Storm
Aftermath of the storm. Day seven in the Southern Ocean. Sent via satellite. “Look,” says the captain, “we can run the watermaker and the heater, and charge the laptop and iPad. But the q…
A Resort in the Roaring Forties
A Resort in the Roaring Forties. “Hooray! We can breathe a sigh of relief—we’ve finally entered the Roaring Forties, Marinochka! Now we’ll really get moving! And look how warm it’s become…
Cape Horn–Cape of Good Hope. A Quarter of the Way
Cape Horn–Cape of Good Hope. A quarter of the way. Do you believe in miracles? How dreams come true, and what comes with them. .. .. .. Damn, this is unbelievable. So much so that I can’t…
Calm and Headwinds. Answers to Your Questions
Day 14. Calm and headwinds. Answers to your questions. We answer your questions. The everyday details of a yacht passage with children through the furious fifties and roaring forties of t…
Storm-Avoidance Tactics
Storm-avoidance tactics. Day 15. The day after tomorrow, 50 knots are coming. Wow. Is that what the forecast says? The last storm was forecast to bring 40 knots of wind, but delivered 62.…
A Tough Passage.
A Tough Passage. “Holy crap, those waves!” That’s the first thing I say today, while washing up. I shoot out of the heads like a cork from a bottle, the door slams shut an inch from my fi…
The Third Storm. Taking the Hit
The third storm. Taking the hit. “Andryukh, shall we heave to, maybe? This is getting pretty grim.” The captain is having his evening sleep before the night watch. The children and I are …
Cape Horn to the Cape of Good Hope. Day 26
Cape Horn to the Cape of Good Hope. Day 26. Do you know why there haven’t been any reports for four days? Oh, or even five? We were so delighted by the calm after three weeks of being tos…
Tristan da Cunha: 500 Years of Solitude
Tristan da Cunha: 500 Years of Solitude. Until the very end of the 15th century, south of 35 degrees south latitude, the Atlantic was as quiet as paradise. Well, in the sense that no one …
The Fight for Tristan. Day 30.
The Fight for Tristan. Day 30. If you’ve been following us on the map and the IRIDIUM track, you’ll already have appreciated this little trick of ours—a tack north to 35 degrees south. No…
Approaching Tristan da Cunha. Day 32
Approaching Tristan da Cunha. Day 32. Repairing the shroud, the first mate’s illness, and emerging from the storm. Sent via satellite. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .…
Tristan da Cunha. The Lost World
Tristan da Cunha. The Lost World. Well, girls, have you had a look at land? Let’s move on! .. .. The captain steers Lady Mary away from the breaking crests and back out. The only anchorag…
Tristan da Cunha and Weather Anomalies
Tristan da Cunha and weather anomalies. What bliss it is to be at anchor! Sleeping like a baby. From six in the morning, I’m bursting with energy for great deeds, such as washing out cupb…
Storms Again. Tristan da Cunha – Cape of Good Hope. Days 1–4
Storms again. Tristan da Cunha – Cape of Good Hope. Days 1–4. The storm that had besieged Edinburgh of the Seven Seas throughout our three days on Tristan da Cunha reached our secluded li…
The Philosophy of the Ocean. Day 41 Since the Strait of Magellan
The Philosophy of the Ocean. Day 41 Since the Strait of Magellan. “I’m going for an evening stroll,” the captain said, putting on his lifejacket and hat. Buy me an ice cream! No, I’m goin…
Eastern Hemisphere! Strait of Magellan–Cape Town, Day 43
Eastern Hemisphere! Strait of Magellan–Cape Town, Day 43. For more than three years, we and most of our friends have been in different hemispheres: after crossing the Atlantic three years…
615 Miles to Cape Town. A Month and a Half on Passage
615 miles to Cape Town. A month and a half on passage. Nastya, your birthday is exactly two months from now. What would you like us to give you? I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it y…
To the Cape of Good Hope, Day 48
To the Cape of Good Hope, Day 48 Only once in the past week has the actual wind not matched the forecast. They promised 20 knots last night; 30 came galloping in and frolicked until morni…
50 Days Under Way. Our Turquoise Wedding Anniversary—and How Not to Kill Each Other.
50 days under way. Our turquoise wedding anniversary—and how not to kill each other. It is now our 14th day at sea since leaving lonely Tristan da Cunha. From there, we had planned to rea…
Day 52. Good News
Day 52. Good news. Early morning, 19 October. There’s a rule: the moment you write that the next report will be out tomorrow, some sort of emergency is bound to happen. Yesterday, for exa…
Cape of Good Hope. Approaches. Day 53.
Cape of Good Hope. Approaches. Day 53. We have 100 miles to go, and when the display shows 99, the children and I will definitely shout, “Hooray!” After all, we’ve been waiting for this m…
In the Port of Cape Town
In the Port of Cape Town — “Vasily Golovnin!” we shout from the deck to the large ship. We know her. First of all, it was this very ship that was trapped in the ice off the coast of Antar…
The Captain’s Birthday: Plenty to Celebrate
The Captain’s Birthday: Plenty to Celebrate. Some people are celebrating Halloween today, dressing up as all manner of evil spirits. Our crew is celebrating something else. “Forty-five—Da…
South Africa. A Strategy for Settling In. Teeth and Farms
South Africa. A Strategy for Settling In. Teeth and Farms “If it weren’t for the blacks, this place would be paradise” “If it weren’t for the whites, we’d have a good life” “We don’t have…
Missile Cruiser Marshal Ustinov in Cape Town
The missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov in Cape Town. How unromantically we met our sailors the first time, and rather epically the second. Lady Mary’s crew visits the cruiser. A coffee shop …
News from the Captain! Australia–Cape Horn Passage 2023
Compiled from the captain’s messages: 13 January Preparing for the headwind to strengthen overnight. Motoring without sails for now. Doing carpentry work on deck. 14 January Caught up on …