Amicale Internationale des Capitaines au Long Cours de Cape Horniers was an exclusive club for seafarers who had rounded the notorious Cape Horn in a cargo-carrying sailing vessel.
Cape Horn, South America’s southern-most point, is surrounded by the world’s most feared and challenging waters and the sailors who choose to take the way around the Horn must be prepared for unpredictable cross-seas and howling winds, enormous waves and treacherous icebergs. Despite this, the route around the Horn was frequently used by merchant sailing vessels for as long as they were plying the oceans.
The association was founded in 1936 with its headquarters in St Malo, France. Since the world’s last fleet of tall ships had Mariehamn as its home port, the Åland section of the A.I.C.H. had the highest concentration of true Cape Horners among its members. However, with the end of the sailing ship era the opportunity for recruiting new members disappeared, and at the 2003 World Congress, the membership of the A.I.C.H. voted to formally disband the association. To keep the memory of the A.I.C.H. and Cape Horn alive, the Åland Cape Horn Association was founded in 2003. A standing item on the association’s agenda is the buffalo luncheon, which is held the first Thursday of each month.
Highlights
The documentary ”We rounded the Horn” is running non-stop in the Cape Horn room. In the film, Åland sailors talk about their time on board sailing ships and what it was like to round the notorious Horn. The film is made by Per-Ove Högnäs, Pelago Film. C. 14 min.
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The Cape Horn Room
Amicale Internationale des Capitaines au Long Cours de Cape Horniers was an exclusive club for seafarers who had rounded the notorious Cape Horn in a cargo-carrying sailing vessel.
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