After our visit to the Antarctic peninsula, it was back north across the Bransfield Strait again to the South Shetland Islands.

On the way humpback whales came to see us, curious as penguins !  The weather was fine.  We even had some wind with us, but not for ever.  Sailing became progressively slower as the wind eased.  At the helm there was an occasional croaky, squawking noise I assumed to be a creaking part of the rigging.  But it was coming from behind me and behind was only water.  No, I was wrong.  A chinstrap penguin was following the ship.  Literally.  A penguin the size of a small cat was swimming for all it was worth to follow us, surfacing every minute or so to shout at the Europa.  This went on for hours.  I could not believe it.

At the 2’o’clocky Klaas relayed that the wind was becoming too light to sail and the engines would have to go on.  We weren’t going very slowly but in the words of a proud old sea-dog, ‘I am not about to be overhauled by a penguin !’.  Fair enough.

Later that day others told of the same penguin, still calling plaintively as if lovesick.  For a big creamy-white ship ?  No.  Can’t be right.  Next morning we heard it had swum alongside and was throwing itself up against the side of the ship, trying to get aboard.  It even got stuck in the safety netting so had made it at least a metre in the air.  Determined fellow.  At some small hour another chinstrap penguin appeared close by.  The two were re-united and swam off together into the distance.  Awww !