Around the wild Cape Horn

[JohnD]

A favour for Katy's mum.....

[Jan_]

... thanks!

Amazing footage of Irving Johnson’s journey around the Cape Horn in 1929.  Spot the pig, the scruffy dog and the turkey that really did get sick!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KL3D9YRcTM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLliOz7PgXA&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx03NZgEcsw&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqHT0QWAkOQ&NR=1

It will take about half an hour to view them all but well worth it, I think.  Not for the faint hearted or those who suffer from vertigo!

[Jan_]

Oh well, I thought they were interesting ...

[RobertD]

They are interesting! I must sit down and watch them uninterrupted some evening. I am fortunate to see a glimpse of the Peking moored at South Street Seaport Museum every morning on my commute as I cross from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Nice to have a song associated with it now, as it is one of my favorite places in the city.

[Jan_]

Bless you Robert and thanks for that information.  I cannot decide if the crew were brave or mad.  Given the lack of safety precautions, I think it is surprising that only two lives were lost.  A hard life certainly but Johnson and the other sailors seem to take it in their stride.

[martin driver]

Thank you Katy's Mum for posting this very interesting film footage, those sailors certainly were a hardy lot. In 2005 I experienced the wild Cape Horn aboard a modern diesel powered 2,700 ton vessel quite similar in size to the SS Peking. Our ship Via Australis,(pictured) complete with it's modern stabilisers was tossed around like a cork by the mountainous seas, one could but imagine how incredibly difficult, uncomfortable & downright dangerous life must have been for those intrepid souls who traversed this passage under sail. The footage you posted confirms just that.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Rory.]

That was amazing, Katie's mum, thanks - one of the best things I've ever seen on youtube. It's becoming a fascination for me, this subject of sail.