We are making our way slowly north with the intention of looking for a weather gap to cross the Drake Passage around the end of February. Yesterday we sailed the 25 miles back to Dorian bay, one of our favourite stops on the way down, and are sharing the protected anchorage with Thies and Kicki on "Wanderer III". There is a definite change in the air as the summer rapidly draws to a close - the sun is lower in the sky and where we had almost constant daylight just a month ago there are now 6 hours of total darkness. It was exciting to see stars for the first time in ages and to discover the Southern Cross almost directly overhead. Precipitaion falls now as snow rather than rain and it is getting much colder - in the early morning the bay has a thin skin of newly formed sea ice across the surface. The dynamics in the large Gentoo Rookery here have also changed and there are very few penguins left in the nesting areas on the rocky hillocks. Most chicks are now fully fledged juveniles and they congregate in large numbers along the shore line, practising their swimming and waiting for the right moment to take to sea. They will spend several years as ocean nomads before returning to breed themselves. If anything they are more fascinating to watch than ever and incredibly inquisitive. We found that just sitting still on a rock arouses their curiosity and they advance in twos and threes to investigate. Singing and whistling interests them further and they waddle to within a few inches, peering at us (see photo) while the bravest ones make an explratory peck at boots or fingers. There is something very special about coming eye to eye with a wild creature when it can choose to stay or go. This will probably be our last intimate meeting with penguins in Antarctica and we are making the most of every minute....