31 January: Cape Horn

On this date in 1616 Cape Horn was discovered by Isaac Le Maire and Willem Schouten. 10 things you might not know about it:

1. First of all, where and what is it? Cape Horn is a rocky headland on Hornos Island, in southern Chile's Tierra del Fuego archipelago.
2. The Atlantic, Pacific and Southern Oceans meet at Cape Horn.
3. The storms at sea around this area are legendary – the “screaming sixties” gale force winds and waves have been known to reach as high as ten-story buildings. Between the 16th and 20th centuries it’s estimated that there have been at least 800 shipwrecks, causing the deaths of more than 10,000 sailors.
4. Why so treacherous? Southwest of Cape Horn, the ocean floor rises sharply from 4,020 meters (13,200 feet) to 100 meters (330 feet) within a few kilometres. This, and the high winds, result in the huge waves. There are also rocky coastal shoals and Icebergs to add to the danger.
5. In fact, it was so dangerous that when the Spanish plundered Gold and Silver from South America in the 1800s, chose to transport it across the continent by land, rather than risk losing the lot at sea.
6. When Isaac Le Maire and Willem Schouten discovered it, they thought it was the southernmost tip of the mainland. It was eight years before it was discovered that it was actually an island.
7. The cape lies within Chilean waters, and the Chilean Navy maintains a station on Hoorn Island, consisting of a residence, utility building, chapel, and Lighthouse.
8. There’s also a monument, in the shape of an albatross in flight to commemorate the thousands of sailors who lost their lives there, and a small chapel. The monument was built in 1992.
9. For a sailor back in the day, having successfully negotiated Cape Horn was a big thing. They’d celebrate having survived by smoking cigars and pouring some of their grog into the ocean as a thank you gift for Neptune, god of the sea. They’d save some for a toast to all those who didn’t make it. Custom dictated that only sailors who had rounded the horn were allowed to wear a gold hoop earring.
10. Since the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914, it’s no longer necessary to risk life and limb in order to get from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic.

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Matt Webster lives in a tower block and attends a failing school. He dreams of being a spy like James Bond. Little does he know that he is being watched by someone who can make him into even more than that – a superhero.

His first solo mission is to attend a ball at the Decembrian Embassy and discover who is planning to steal a priceless diamond. While there, he meets the mysterious Lady Antonia du Cane, and is powerfully drawn to her. It soon becomes clear, however, that Lady du Cane is not what she seems. Matt’s quest to discover who she really is almost costs him his career.

A modern day Guy Fawkes gathers a coterie around him with the aim of blowing up Parliament with a nuclear bomb. To achieve this, they need money. Lots of it. Selling the Heart of Decembria Diamond will provide more than enough. All that stands in their way is the Freedom League – but the League is beset by internal disagreements. Can the heroes put their differences aside in time to save the day?

Prime Minister Richard Miller and his wife Fiona grieve for their daughter, Yasmin, who has been missing for three years, and is presumed to be dead. Viper agent Violet Parker could hold the key to what happened to Yasmin, but Violet is accused of giving away the organisation’s secrets. She is to be executed without trial. Will she take her knowledge of what happened to Yasmin with her to her grave?

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