On old maps, this passage between two oceans looked like a tear at the end of the world. The ship enters it slowly, between the tip of the South American continent and the shores of Tierra del Fuego, where Ferdinand Magellan opened the way in 1520, after weeks of hesitation in a labyrinth of channels. No dock awaits you here. The strait is experienced from the deck, bundled up in a coat, hands wrapped around a hot drink, gazing toward shores few humans have ever set foot on.

A route that changed history

For nearly four centuries, this corridor of about 570 kilometres served as the main route between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Sailing ships, then steamers, passed through one after another to avoid the dreaded storms of Cape Horn. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 diverted commercial traffic, but cruise ships still follow this route steeped in history. From the deck, you quickly understand why sailors of old spoke of this place with respect: the wind drops and then rises without warning, the light changes from one minute to the next, and the mountains plunge straight into dark water.

What catches the eye along the way

The crossing saves its highlights for those who stay outside. Small, two-toned Commerson's dolphins sometimes escort the hull. Cormorants skim the water, albatrosses glide without a single wingbeat. Around Cape Froward, at the southern tip of the continent, humpback whales surface to breathe during the austral summer. Colonies of Magellanic penguins, which gave the species its name, nest on some of the islands in the area. Every sighting becomes an event: binoculars are passed around, fingers point, breath is held.

Punta Arenas, the port of call in the heart of the strait

Several itineraries include a stop at Punta Arenas, roughly halfway through. This windswept Chilean city prospered in the days when every ship in the world sailed past its docks. Its former shipowners' mansions, its central square adorned with a statue of Magellan and its colourful tin roofs tell the story of this prosperity that came from the sea. If your itinerary includes this stop, a walk through the centre is enough to sense the unique atmosphere of towns at the end of the world.

Crossing highlights

Spending the day on board

A day in the strait unfolds differently from an ordinary port call. Commentary broadcast from the bridge points out the capes, glaciers and historic bays. The outer decks become the meeting place for early risers, as the low morning light sculpts the landscape better than at any other time. Toward the west, the most mountainous stretch reveals glacier tongues hanging between the peaks. Bring several layers of clothing: Patagonia sets its own pace and weather, never the other way around.

In the wake of the explorers

There is something moving about following, five centuries later, the exact route of an expedition that left Spain with five ships and returned with just one. The names on the map, Useless Bay, Port Famine, Cape Desire, bear witness to the hopes and tragedies of those crews. At the end of the day, as the coast darkens and the birds return to their cliffs, you realize how fortunate you are to cross in complete comfort a passage that cost so much effort to those who found it. This kind of crossing stays with you: it makes you want to reopen the accounts of the great voyages, and perhaps already look there for the next one.