“Beautiful sunshiny morning. The pack radiant with the pink flush of sunrise, and resembling the ruins of empyrean marble cities. With fair NW wind, the James Caird, Dudley Docker and Stancombe Wills made SW course, our object being King George Island… This position caused grave anxiety, for in spite of strong wind from NE and our sailing SW, we have drifted considerably eastward… drifting in a sea of loose brash ice and newly formed pancakes. The boats, in order not to lose each other, remained tethered together. Everyone was wet and achingly cold. When there was sufficient light to enable safe navigation, the painters were cast adrift and with the SW wind, our destination was changed for Elephant Island…”

— Frank Hurley