Cape Horn, the legendary crossing point for circumnavigators, was once again the center of prestigious celebrations as the new members of the " Cape Horn Hall of Fame ". Held in Les Sables d'Olonne, the ceremony brought together the world's top sailors to share memorable sea stories and moments of glory, on the sidelines of the Vendée Globe 2024.
Iconic figures of ocean sailing honored
This year, six exceptional sailors were inducted, joining the forty already enshrined in the Cape Horn Hall of Fame. Among them, Loïck Peyron, four-time circumnavigator and holder of the Jules Verne Trophy in 2012, was the first to receive this honor.
He is joined by two other great names in French sailing, Jean Le Cam and Francis Joyon, two regulars on the podium and in record-breaking round-the-world races. All three represent the elite of solo sailing, and bear witness to their courage in the face of the dangers involved in rounding Cape Horn.
Australian sailor Andrew Cape, who has crossed this iconic cape ten times, is also among this year's inductees. At sea for decades, he has taken part in many prestigious races, including the Volvo Ocean Race and the Barcelona World Race. He thus joins this illustrious list of sailors who have left their mark on the history of sailing.
Memorable Cape Horn stories
While the ceremony was marked by proud moments, it was also rich in intimate, shared memories. Mike Golding, who was physically absent but present via video link from the Cocos Islands, impressed those present with his emotional speech. A regular at Cape Horn, with six passages to his credit, he recalled his most vivid memory: the distinctive smell of land and ocean as you approach the cape. A moment of communion between these seasoned sailors and the general public, recalling the human and technical trials involved in this crossing.
For Golding, induction into the Cape Horn Hall of Fame represents " a fantastic honor "A sentiment shared by all the winners. Joining a list of names such as Éric Tabarly, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Bernard Moitessier is a great achievement for these sailors, who have defied the most inhospitable oceans.
An institution dedicated to the memory of circumnavigators
Since its inception, the International Association of Cape Horners (IACH), chaired by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, has worked to honor the memory and achievements of navigators who have rounded Cape Horn. This year, thirty nominations were submitted for induction, with fifteen names put to the vote of the association's members. Of these, only six sailors were selected to join this pantheon of world sailing.
This Hall of Fame, inaugurated four years ago, is housed in the club house of the port of Les Sables d'Olonne, a town now enshrined as the world capital of solo sailing. Indeed, this port hosts the start of several prestigious races, including the Vendée Globe, the Golden Globe Race and the Mini-Transat, contributing to its international renown.
Marine memorabilia on display at the Carré des cap-horniers
At the ceremony, a number of previous inductees shared their memories of rounding Cape Horn. Michel Desjoyeaux and Jean-Luc van den Heede, veteran of twelve passages, presented maps of their multiple voyages. Skip Novak presented the assembly with a Cape Horn stone, collected during his first expedition to Tierra del Fuego in 1988. " Touch this stone, and memories of your time at Cape Horn will come flooding back "he confided at the hearing.
List of names already honoured in the Cape Horn MCH Hall of Fame
Willem Schouten (1567-1625), Netherlands
Jacob Le Maire (1585-1616), Belgium
Vice Admiral Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865), UK
Capt. Vern Verner Björkfelt (1900-1982), Finland
Capt. Thomas Carter (T.C) Fearon (1813 - 1869), USA
Capt. Adolph Hauth, Germany
Capt. Louis Allaire (1880-1949), France
Alan Villiers (1903-1982), Australia
Vito Dumas (1900-1965), Argentina
Marcel Bardiaux (1910-1958), France
Sir Francis Chichester (1901-1972), UK
Sir Alec Rose (1908-1991), UK
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (1939-), UK
Bernard Moitessier (1925-1994), France
Sir Chay Blyth (1940-), UK
Ramon Carlin (1923-2016), Mexico City
Éric Tabarly (1931-1998), France
Cornelis van Rietschoten (1926-2013), Netherlands
Dame Naomi James (1949-), New Zealand
Kay Cottee (1954-), Australia
Jon Sanders (1939-), Australia
Philippe Jeantot (1952-), France
Titouan Lamazou (1955-), France
Sir Peter Blake (1948-2001), New Zealand
Dilip Donde (1967-), India
Stan Honey (1955-), USA
Dee Caffari (1973-), UK
Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (1945-), France
Dame Ellen MacArthur (1976 -), UK
Grant Dalton (1957 - ), New Zealand
Skip Novak(1952 - ), USA
Jeanne Socrates (1942 - ), UK
Franck Cammas (1972 - ), France
Michel Desjoyeaux (1965 - ), France
