In mid-December last year, an unexpected question from my sister led me to embark on an extraordinary journey, one that blended the thrill of exploration with a vital cause. I have always considered myself a landlubber, happiest wandering in bushveld, savannah and fynbos. Yet on 25 January this year, I boarded the cruise ship MSC Musica in Durban, South Africa with my sister and her husband, along with almost 2000 birders, conservationists and photographers. Together, we sailed towards an extraordinary destination, captured in two enigmatic words: Marion Island, a place that caught my imagination forty years ago.