Today we set out hoping to support some scientific research. Two Bioacousticians were on board, aiming to recover a sound trap that had been sitting in the Gerlache Strait for a full year. Everyone was on lookout duty, scanning the water for the unit as it surfaced. Unfortunately, it never appeared. MS Nansen will try again on a future voyage, and we’re all rooting for better luck next time.

While we were searching, though, the ocean gave us something special: humpback whales cruising through the strait and a pod of orcas teaching their youngsters how to move as a pack. Not a bad consolation.

For a lucky handful of guests, today also marked their seventh continent. Antarctica welcomed us with high, fast-moving clouds, bright sunshine, and crisp snow that sparkled under the light. We climbed the 120 meters up to the saddle behind Spigot Peak, rewarded with sweeping views over the Gerlache Strait, Errera Channel, and Orne Harbour.

At the top, we visited a busy chinstrap penguin rookery. The adults looked exhausted as they trudged up the slope to feed their plump, demanding chicks. Overhead, skuas and southern giant petrels circled patiently, waiting for any chance to snatch a meal for their own young.