Solo Sailor Round Cape Horn

Matt Rutherford is a sailing adventurer in the making. Or maybe he is well past that. He has just rounded Cape Horn in his solo quest to sail around America. Last summer he sailed through the Northwest Passage.

Did I forget to mention that he is sailing a 27 foot Albin Vega? Small boat sailors like Sven Yrvind and Roger Taylor take what boats they have and enjoy the simplicity of the adventure. So does Matt Rutherford.

He started his adventure in June 2011 in Annapolis heading north. The voyage took him through the Northwest passage and down the west coast of USA, South-America and right after we saw 2012 in our calendar he sailed around Cape Horn.

"It's taken me 208 days and 18,341 miles to get to Cape Horn, but finally I'm here. It's an honor to be here. I think all blue water sailors dream of rounding the Horn. It's a special place and it's a privilege to sail these waters. 208 days is a long time to be cooped up on a 27 foot boat, I can't even stand up without hitting my head. It's been a long trip from the top of the planet down to the bottom. Heck, it was a long trip just to get to the place north of Alaska (Point Barrow) where I could finally turn south. I think I had grand tour of the open Pacific. Originally when I left Annapolis I estimated that I would round the Horn on January 16th so I'm 11 days ahead of schedule," he writes on his home page".

Does the man dream of stopping? Not. He is thinking about doing a detour to honor Shackleton.

"I'm also only 1,000 miles from South Georgia (Island). How tempting is that? In 10 days from now I could be on South Georgia, standing next to Shackletons grave toasting "the boss" with my last glass of whiskey. It's a nice idea but I've come too far to stop now. Now I can start thinking about my ultimate destination, the finish line at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and my first landfall in Annapolis." -- Jon Amtrup in TheSailNews.com: thesailnews.com/?p=1250

Rutherford's site: www.solotheamericas.org

For more information Contact
Captain Thom Burns, Northern Breezes - 763-542-9707

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