Our three days sailing from South Georgia to Antarctica proper were enlivened by several sightings. Having passed a small iceberg on the way to South Georgia, we now found ourselves confronting the more substantial tabular bergs. These are fragments of ice shelf, either from the Weddell Sea to the east, or from the south-west.
We passed Cornwallis Island:
On our way to Elephant Island, where we saw the Antarctic blend of ice and mountains up close for the first time: 
This is the beach where Shackleton’s men waited four months for rescue:
As we headed south, the density of seabirds increased; fulmars and the occasional Snow Petrel joined the flocks of Cape Petrels:
The greatest excitement, however, was caused by the whales. The captain and other crew on the bridge obligingly kept a lookout for these and passed on the news when they were spotted. Rather far away, we saw what were “probably” Minke Whales:
While near Elephant Island, a group of four Fin Whales decided to keep the ship company for several minutes:
