Charles Darwin's closest brush with death during the Beagle voyage came on Sunday 13th January 1833, near that most infamous of nautical perils, Cape Horn.
13-Jan-1833: The day HMS Beagle nearly sank
beagle diary
12-Feb-1834: Darwin's 25th birthday, Patagonia
How Charles Darwin spent his 25th birthday.
A miserable birthday aboard HMS Beagle
On Charles Darwin's miserable 23rd birthday (his first aboard HMS Beagle).