June 2 brought a welcome addition to the party in the form of the men who had been forced to remain at Hut Point until the sea-ice became firm.

Mackintosh and those with him had incurred some risk in making the crossing, since open water had been seen on their route by the Cape Evans party only a short time before.
There were now ten men at Cape Evans--namely, Mackintosh, Spencer- Smith, Joyce, Wild, Cope, Stevens, Hayward, Gaze, Jack, and Richards.
The winter had closed down upon the Antarctic and the party would not be able to make any move before the beginning of September.

In the meantime they overhauled the available stores and gear, made plans for the work of the forthcoming spring and summer, and lived the severe but not altogether unhappy life of the polar explorer in winter quarters.
Mackintosh, writing on June 5, surveyed his position: "The decision of Stenhouse to make this bay the wintering place of the ship was not reached without much thought and consideration of all eventualities.

Stenhouse had already tried the Glacier Tongue and other places, but at each of them the ship had been in an exposed and dangerous position.

When this bay was tried the ship withstood several severe blizzards, in which the ice remained in on several occasions.
When the ice did go out the moorings held.