VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA– The sun was bright this morning. Most of the science party and many of the others on board came out to watch as the tugs pushed us out. We had a clear view of the Olympic Mountain Range and the snow covering the peaks. I spent a few amazing hours our watching orcas swimming by and watching land slip away.

We had our first fire drill today. And yes, for any students reading this, it is a lot like the ones you do at school. The biggest difference is that we have to wear a hardhat, safety goggles and a life vest. Coming back to my cabin to drop off my life vest I couldn’t help but notice the sound of the water splashing against the hull of the ship. It is very relaxing. The gentle sway of the ship is not too bad. Hopefully the good weather will keep up for a while longer. That way we can delay the sea sickness issues.

We did some more training for the core flow with Jerry, Expedition 323’s curator. He is another remarkable member of this project, bringing his experience of some 20 trips. It is around 6 days to the first drill site. The time is about 16:00.

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22:10 now. The sense of anticipation is palpable. The ocean is a little bit rougher than before. The ship is still remarkably steady considering. Meetings continue with different groups. Many are making the transition to the working schedules now. We have a meeting at 08:30 tomorrow, so I’ll have to hold of a bit longer on the transition. The sun has just set.