March 1, 2016. No matter how much you prepare for an adventure like this, it's always a rush when it is about to actually happen. Now, after 3 years of planning and preparation, it is. If I may, I'll use the same words I used when we were about to land on Heard Island in 1997: "We're ready!"

If you have looked at our Project Poster, you'll see how many people have been involved in making this happen--a "small staff" of about a dozen, about a hundred implementing and tending various equipage and logistical activities, and perhaps a thousand others indirectly involved in fulfilment of individual items. Of course, the list is only a fraction of the rest of "the team": the DXers who will make a contact with the camp on Heard Island, logging a contact with VKØEK. After almost 20 years, this will be a relief for some, a thrill for others, and probably a source of debate about the project for years.

For those of us who will sail out of Cape Town on March 10, it is an E-ticket ride. Some of you know the ups and downs we have experienced over the course of creating the project, and now that seems less like trouble and more like a thrilling roller coaster ride. For those of you who have supported us with your contributions, we have a special feeling: you made this expedition financially successful so we could spend our time preparing rather than fundraising. For those of you who have sent good wishes, we carry them with us, with warm thanks. For those of you who will keep our home fires burning for two months, you will constantly be in our thoughts.

And now, a special message for the DXers: For those of you who will be working hard to make a contact with VKØEK, please keep in mind that both you and we are on the same team--we both want to get you in the log. We will be working hard for you, and we would like you to help us by maintaining a high level of those virtues that will make this operation fun and rewarding: patience, charity, and mutual support. We want you to have a great time watching and interacting with the DXpedition, and we'll celebrate the success of the operation if everyone can truthfully embrace our motto:

"I helped make it happen!"

Thanks all, and we'll look for you from Heard Island.

Bob KK6EK