Everything depended upon the landing.

If we could land at Filchner's base there was no reason why a band of experienced men should not winter there in safety.

But the Weddell Sea was notoriously inhospitable and already we knew that its sternest face was turned toward us.

All the conditions in the Weddell Sea are unfavourable from the navigator's point of view.

The winds are comparatively light, and consequently new ice can form even in the summer-time.