May 15 was a great day. We made our hoosh at 7.30 a.m. Then we
loaded up the boat and gave her a flying launch down the steep beach
into the surf. Heavy rain had fallen in the night and a gusty north-
westerly wind was now blowing, with misty showers. The 'James Caird'
headed to the sea as if anxious to face the battle of the waves once
more. We passed through the narrow mouth of the cove with the ugly
rocks and waving kelp close on either side, turned to the east, and
sailed merrily up the bay as the sun broke through the mists and made
the tossing waters sparkle around us. We were a curious-looking party
on that bright morning, but we were feeling happy. We even broke into
song, and, but for our Robinson Crusoe appearance, a casual observer
might have taken us for a picnic party sailing in a Norwegian fiord or
one of the beautiful sounds of the west coast of New Zealand. The wind
blew fresh and strong, and a small sea broke on the coast as we
advanced. The surf was sufficient to have endangered the boat if we
had attempted to land where the carcass of the sea-elephant was lying,
so we decided to go on to the head of the bay without risking anything,
particularly as we were likely to find sea-elephants on the upper
beaches. The big creatures have a habit of seeking peaceful quarters
protected from the waves.
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