The camping was great. I don’t think it got much below freezing. Only my toes got cold and that happens at home anyway. After breakfast we motored over towards Cuverville Island. We thought we were on our way to yet another penguin rookery, but we floated past some magnificent ice bergs and then we heard 3 HUMPBACKS over the radio. We arrived in time to see all of them floating near the top of the water breathing through their blow holes and then diving down (fluking) to stir up more krill. The afternoon was spent floating around Wilhelmina Bay. The clouds broke and even the guides were taking pictures, so we knew we were seeing something special. Lazy seals, icebergs galore and a blue background to top it off. Absolutely picture perfect.

Our last day of excursions started with disappointing weather at Deception Island. Fitting I guess. Deception Island has been used in some form or another for almost 100 years. First as a whaling station, then survey crews and currently research. We checked out what’s left old buildings, walked up to Neptune’s window and tried to be artistic photographers. The weather improved for our last landing on Half Moon Island. We got our last look at penguins and saw our 4th species. There was one lonely Macaroni standing proud with his yellow feathers in the middle of a rookery. The island had more seals, Giant Petrels, and a terrific backdrop for landscapes. It was sad to see the land disappear only to look forward to 2 days at sea.

Despite only having water around for 2 days, the ship was buzzing with activity. Everyone was sharing photos and emails and reliving the past week and not wanting to return to the real world. The Russian captain watched the weather and dodged a storm so we had smooth sailing through the Drake Passage. Just for the thrill of it the ship rounds the horn, Cape Horn that is. Sailors sometimes took up to 2 months to make it around and we did it in a matter of hours.

Antarctica is truly a place that can’t be put into words or pictures. The sheer size of the continent, the remoteness, the wildlife, the scale of everything around you is simply silencing. We feel so lucky to have visited the great white continent. And yes we did get our passports stamped!