Quite the Friday 

I woke up shortly after 7AM for the morning watch, slightly disappointed to hear that the first icebergs had already been spotted close to the ship a few hours before. Try as you might, you cannot catch everything. But it is sweet indeed to be in the right place at the right time, as I was at the end of my breakfast, when word came to the galley that there were orcas close by. I quickly popped up on deck to watch a pod of them diving along just off to port, a stone's throw from the deck, moving ever so gracefully through the waves. 

A few moments later, I saw Jordi holding some of the most impressive photographic equipment I have ever seen in person. "All of it is useless if you are sleeping when the orcas come," he muttered, shaking his head. 

Jordi is our resident Antarctica guide - a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm, experience, and humour. Hard to imagine a person better suited to the job. Last night, the daily program for March 9 had a most tantalizing entry: "Afternoon - Who Knows?" Apparently Jordi does. He coordinated our first landing at Hannah Point on Livingstone Island a little after 3PM from the zodiacs. A multitude of penguins and elephant seals on all sides. A scenic hike around the bay, up a ridge overlooking and then onto a glacier. The sun breaking through the clouds at just the right time to offer up ideal conditions to the range of amateur and professional photographers among us. As we came down from the glacier, of course there were even a few stray penguins who had wandered over to the ice to ensure a perfect Antarctica image. 

I must say, it is all a bit overwhelming, to actually be here. In the very best sense of the word. 

- James MacDuff