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 One of the benefits of doing business with AWT is taking advantage of AWT’s reservoir of knowledge and experience. In this issue of AWT Insights, Mike O’Brien, Senior Operations Manager, describes the challenges and options of sailing Cape Horn. You will see in his article how AWT applies information in its database of historical weather, which we call Climatological Ship Resistance, and utilizes its meteorological and maritime experts to help clients plan long voyages and assist Masters in weighing the sailing options.
Enjoy your reading. We welcome your feedback. |
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Skip Vaccarello |
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 Sailing Magellan Strait or Cape Horn:
Cost vs. Weather Risk
Mike O’Brien, Senior Operations Manager
Planning a voyage that involves passing Cape Horn is a difficult undertaking, especially in the winter months of the Southern Hemisphere. Some of the numerous questions that arise when planning a voyage include:
• What delay can I expect due to weather?
• What are the distances and expected steaming times via Cape Horn
and Magellan Strait?
• Can I make a decision later in the voyage in order to utilize
the pilotage free waters via Cape Horn?
AWT answers all of these questions for voyages that are rounding the southern tip of South America.
Cape Horn Conditions
The weather conditions, to no surprise, are frequently quite heavy when navigating in the vicinity of Cape Horn during the winter months. When picturing where Cape Horn resides, it becomes apparent why weather conditions can be so adverse. Cape Horn is near 56S latitude, at the southern tip of South America. At that latitude you can sail east or west for about 12,400 nautical miles and arrive back at Cape Horn without encountering any large mass of land. This vast unbroken fetch of open sea is one of the key factors to the legendary weather conditions at Cape Horn. With fetch length, wind speed and duration of wind being the key components in wave development, the stage is set for adverse sea conditions in that region.
Fortunately, AWT has sophisticated wind and wave data and expert marine meteorologists deciphering the data to see what is in store for vessels transiting the region. This model data is analyzed and communicated to Masters and vessel operators well in advance, allowing for decisions to be made prior to the onset of the heavy weather.
The options open to vessels when sailing that region are:
| Cape Horn. With this open water passage there are no pilot fees. However, vessels are subject to fully developed Westerly winds and waves with few options to minimize exposure to the weather. The image below is a depiction, based on AWT data, showing a very heavy surge of W-SW conditions approaching Cape Horn. The winds in this image are 40-50 knots with a maximum significant wave of over 14 meters. |
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| click to zoom |
| Magellan Strait. Entering via Possession Bay, on the Atlantic side, the strait winds through narrow waterways and exits into the Pacific Ocean near Isla Desolación. This waterway provides fetch limitation of fully developed sea/swells encountered along routes via Cape Horn. Operators and Masters must weigh the cost of pilots against the forecast weather conditions and projected steaming time to decide on which route to sail. |
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| click to zoom |
| Magellan Strait and Patagonian Channel. This route, in addition to the protected waters of the Magellan Strait, utilizes a number of inland waterways along the coast of Chile. These waterways provide some additional protection from heavy Westerly seas. The added protection from the weather comes at the cost of additional pilot fees. |
AWT Tools and Process for Determining Safest Routes
AWT calculates the distances along all available route options, calculates the estimated impact of wind/seas and ocean currents along those options and presents the vessel operator an estimated steaming time along each route option. This enables our clients to decide the safest and most economical passage that accounts for forecast weather conditions, fuel, pilot fees and overall steaming time.
For long voyages, AWT utilizes its proprietary Climatological Ship Resistance (CSR) to accurately estimate speed down due to weather based on the day of the year, vessel position and heading, and weather patterns like El Niño, La Niña or neutral. This technology allows us to provide the vessel operator with the best possible data for making longer range decisions. To further refine the decision process, AWT can provide updated weather, distance and steaming time calculations to the vessel operator during the course of the voyage.
AWT provides this service, as needed, to vessel operators with ships sailing via the Cape Horn region. This service is consistent with AWT’s mission to provide companies in the maritime industry worldwide with quality products that allow for safe, efficient and economic operation with minimal environmental impact.
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