Venezuelan migrants reach Cape Horn by sailboat, the world’s most dangerous sea route

When audiovisual producer and photographer Leonardo Rodríguez learned of the adventure that the Chilean Jorge Salamanca was about to undertake, who had rented him his sailboat on several occasions, he immediately proposed documenting the trip .

by Voice of America

The route included a voyage from Spain to Cape Horn (Chile), the southern limit of the South American continent and one of the world’s most dangerous maritime challenges.

Rodriguez did not imagine that the trip would make him one of the few Venezuelans, perhaps the first, to reach this part of the world (he has not been able to confirm this).

“George told me about his project. He is a native of Chile and has lived in Spain for over 40 years after emigrating in the eighties. He told me about his entire struggle as a migrant and his dream as a child, which was to travel across the southern seas. His great-grandfather and ancestors were part of the Chilean Navy (…) His intention was to sail from Spain to Cape Horn with his yacht,” he says.

“I didn’t know anything about navigation, but when I researched Cape Horn and the feat George wanted to do, the thrill took hold of me and I told him we had to document it. I told him: ‘If you allow me, I will join you on this ship and we will document this adventure, to which I see no parallel; I think it’s very unique and specific to this time,” Venezuela said in an interview with Voice of America.

crossing cape horn

Cape Horn is the last point of land before Antarctica, where the world’s two most important oceans meet: the Pacific and the Atlantic.

Sailing in this area is considered dangerous due to several conditions, such as its southern latitude, almost complete absence of land, strong winds, waves more than 30 meters high and even ice floes. These water features caused approximately 1,000 shipwrecks and at least 10,000 deaths.

Leonardo Rodriguez had this information in mind, which is why he insisted on documenting it.

To continue reading, click here.