Page "Antarctic Circumpolar Current" Paragraph 3

The ACC has been known to sailors for centuries ; it greatly speeds up any voyages from west to east, but makes sailing extremely difficult from east to west ; though this is mostly due to the prevailing westerly winds.

The circumstances preceding the mutiny on the Bounty and Jack London's story " Make Westing " poignantly illustrated the difficulty it caused for mariners seeking to round Cape Horn on the clipper ship route between New York and California.

The clipper route, which is the fastest sailing route around the world, follows the ACC around three continental capes-Cape Agulhas ( Africa ), South East Cape ( Australia ) and Cape Horn ( South America ).