Matthew Smith, First Ice (LANDSCAPE & ENVIRONMENT 2025)

There’s a quiet thrill in spotting the first iceberg after days at sea — a moment known among polar travellers as “First Ice.” As we crossed the Drake Passage on our tiny yacht, this towering mass of ancient ice emerged on the horizon, bathed in the soft glow of morning sunlight. For a few onboard our vessel, it marked their first encounter with a true Antarctic iceberg — a silent, gleaming sentinel signaling that the White Continent, and the adventure of a lifetime, lay just ahead.

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