About us

POLARWIND Expeditions:

Our passion for this unique region, the "end of the world", and our extensive experience from years of sailing in the area of Cape Horn, motivated us in 2007 to form our company: POLARWIND Segelreisen & Expeditionen in the city of Münster/Germany.

Since our first navigations and expeditions in high latitudes starting in 2001, we have made nearly 110 successful circumnavigations of Cape Horn, and countless expeditions with TV and climbing equipment to the south of Tierra del Fuego.

POLARWIND offers high quality sailing trips and of course with the highest safety standards. The sailing yachts meet all safety standards and are certified and authorized by the Chilean Navy to sail in the Cape Horn district.

Together with our partners, the company "Porter Expediciones Spa" and "KSAR Expediciones" we organize our trips. All trips begin in Puerto Williams, Chile. We are careful to be in direct contact with local providers and local people. We include traditions and local specialties in our trips and support the locals, such as the children of the CEDENA sailing school.

Why take a voyage on the SY AL FIN?

There is no question that a sailing voyage on the SY AL FIN is a fascinating experience from the very first moment to the very last day. In line with our philosophy, we organise sailing trips with a spirit of adventure and a character of discovery. With a maximum of 5 fellow sailors on board, the voyages offer an informal atmosphere with plenty of space and sufficient comfort for every participant. For a voyage to be a success, the crew needs to feel like a team and work together. That is why the skipper motivates each crew member to take part in sailing maneuvers and activities on board in accordance with their ability and sailing experience. However, the top priority is of course always the safety of the ship and crew, which the experienced skipper will of course ensure throughout the entire trip.

We are deeply rooted in the area where we sail and deeply passionate about transmitting our history and traditions. These elements form our philosophy, guiding each of our expeditions.

We are the only charter sailing tourism company registered in the Cape Horn area and we are currently also the only one offering this type of expeditions in the extreme south of Chile sailing under the Chilean flag. This allows us to offer an exclusive and unique sailing trip as – unlike yachts under a foreign flag – we are allowed to navigate unexplored parts of the archipelago, like the Murray Channel. Hence, we have several attractive and unique routing options to get to and from Cape Horn.

Since we legally operate under the Chilean flag, we are subject to the most rigorous navigation rules and regulations, which are monitored and checked annually as well as during each sailing trip, by the Chilean Navy. For this reason, we dispose of all safety and seaworthiness certificates to operate in the region of Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego.

Having worked 8 years in the Chilean Navy, especially as lighthouse keepers in all the control posts for navigation in the region of Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego, we know every corner of this vast archipelago, and enjoy transmitting the experiences, anecdotes and history of this particular region to all our sailors during our sailing trips.

At the end of each trip and after a successful rounding of Cape Horn, every crew member will receive a "certificate" for this very special achievement and a "certificate of miles sailed" from the skipper. We also provide, at the request of our crew, an official certificate with all the details of this circumnavigation, which is provided by the Chilean Navy in Puerto Williams.

Osvaldo E. Escobar Torres
POLARWIND Expeditions
GERMANY