García de Nodal expedition

The García de Nodal expedition was chartered in 1619 by King Philip III of Spain to reconnoiter the passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, rounding Cape Horn, south of Tierra del Fuego, just discovered by the Dutch merchants Jacob Le Maire and Willem Schouten.

In the annals of Cape Horn exploration, this must rank as one of the most professional expeditions, particularly when seen against the standards of the age in which it took place, and it would be nice to report the two brothers had many years to enjoy their justly deserved fame.

Sadly both perished on 5th September 1622 when a hurricane struck a fleet returning from Havana to Spain, and their respective commands were lost.

However, their signature rightly remains on Cape Horn through the names of many points, rocks and the most prominent peak on the Brunswick Peninsula.

Appropriately they are also remembered in the Diego Ramirez group, where the two main islands are called after the brothers, the northern one is Bartolomé and the southern, Gonzalo.