As the Sarmiento de Gamboa departs Vigo, jubilant energy radiates across the aft deck. Several members of the science team and crew have gathered here in the bright sunshine, pointing as our ship passes the Cíes Islands, taking photos, and relishing the joy of this moment.

Setting sail is always an exhilarating and unique experience — watching the shoreline recede and seeing only open ocean ahead. But today feels particularly euphoric.

This expedition has been a long time in the making, and everyone on board (especially our lead scientists) have overcome challenges to be here. After years of planning, two weeks of quarantine, and four days in port, we are finally heading out to sea to conduct research on essential ocean processes.

In our wide-eyed excitement, we cannot conceive of what the North Atlantic has in store for us over the next three weeks.