On our penultimate day at sea, Captain Cardestig skillfully navigated the Viking Octantis around the peninsula’s northeastern tip for an early morning view of Joinville Island’s glacial headlands and ice-capped peaks.

We anchored outside a dense track of pack ice that can make it challenging to approach landfall at Tay Head.

Those fortunate enough to be scheduled for daily excursions experienced a thrill ride from the 10u Zodiacs piloted through floating ice blocks momentarily stranded on rocky shallows.

I, however, was stranded aboard Octantis with my camera at the ready. The closest I could get to the Adélie penguin colony this day managed to swim across my viewfinder as they indulged in a krill feast.

Travel resumed at noon, dodging islands of sea ice across the Antarctic Sound,

when a call came across the P.A. system, “There’s a humpback sighting, portside, and it’s following the ship.”

It was as if the paparazzi had stumbled upon Taylor Swift adrift in the Southern Ocean. Passengers leapt to their feet, fervently capturing the moment (predominantly with cell phones) from every deck, eager to commemorate our initial humpback whale sighting,

albeit from a distance beyond any reasonable recognition or resolution …

Nevertheless, there were cheers all around, as if to encourage an encore performance. And to our surprise, it circled back for a curtain call with crisper results!

Although my pixelated version offered its own reward.

By late afternoon, we arrived at Paulet Island, a round volcanic rock characterized by its prominent cinder cone and almost complete absence of ice due to geothermal activity.

Once again, the requisite transport toys were hauled from the hangar for the fortunate 182 passengers who walked among the tens of thousands of Adélies on the island’s congested shore.

But alas, not with me. I, for my part, was chasing an opportunistic snowy sheathbill that had fled Paulet Island, seeking the solitude of Deck 10.

By 8:00 PM, the majority of passengers were savoring their dinner as Octantis sailed southwest towards Brown Bluff, in anticipation of our singular continental landing—a prospect that held high expectations for everyone and ultimately left no one disappointed!