After boarding the good ship MS Fram and settling into our cabins, we collected the emblems of the expedition - our red jackets. Later, after the safety briefing, the rumble of the engines announced our departure as we slipped away from the dockside at Punta Arenas with the faint rays of the setting sun glowing through the clouds. The sea held some hidden surprises for those of us close enough to windows at dinner that night or for those excitedly out in the wind watching out for wildlife on the bow on deck 5. There was a report of a Sei whale and Peales dolphins out there in the gathering dusk. So much was yet to come