At Cabo da Roca, Portugal, the westernmost point of the Eurasian continent, stands a monument that says: “Where the land ends and the sea begins (Onde a terra acaba e o mar come ça).” The monument is an ode to the great contributions made by Portuguese navigators, including Ferdinand Magellan.
In 1519, Magellan led a fleet westward, headed for the Spice Islands in Southeast Asia. Despite harsh weather and a mutiny, he rounded the tip of South America through a strait, completing the first circumnavigation of the world.
“Magellan's Ships off Cape Horn” is a treasured oil painting in the Evergreen Maritime Museum’s collection. It depicts Magellan’s ship passing through the strait which now bears his name.
