9/127 Two of our boats were fairly strong, but the third, the 'James Caird', was light, although a little longer than the others. All of them were small for the navigation of these notoriously stormy seas, and they would be heavily loaded, so a voyage in open water would be a serious undertaking. I fear that the carpenter's fingers were already itching to convert pews into topsides and decks. In any case, the worst that could befall us when we had reached Deception Island would be a wait until the whalers returned about the middle of November. The Admiralty "Sailing Directions," referring to the South Shetlands, mentioned a cave on this island. |