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326 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



Rosita Bay, which akhough exposed to wind was shehered from heavy swell. There 

 was not much choice. During the repairs I had had the fuel tanks re-arranged and the 

 lockers widened; this enabled at least four of us to sleep on board, and this was now 

 always done, the only person to sleep ashore being the cook of the day. It was not the 

 height of luxury, but safer for the 'Alert'. 



The work was resumed. A number of the beacons had blown down, and progress 

 was extremely slow. The weather was bad on the whole, and several days and nights 

 were spent standing by with the engine running, for fear the anchors should drag. 



The depth of water over the whole bay, with the exception of some patches, is so great 

 that a great deal of time was occupied in sounding. This was reduced to a minimum 

 by spacing the soundings, and this could be done quite safely, as the kelp was always 

 a dependable guide to shoals. On rough days, when a big swell would come rolling in, 

 breakers were easy to detect and were always looked for from some high point on 

 shore. 



At last, on February 9, the work was completed and we returned to Prince Olaf 

 Harbour, where as usual we were most kindly received by the Manager. 



After our return to Prince Olaf Station, opportunity was taken for O'Connor to ascend 

 the Snow Pap of 2100 ft., situated behind Prince Olaf Harbour, from which all the main 

 stations, both at the Bay of Isles and Prince Olaf Harbour, could be seen on a clear 

 day. This was done with a view to connecting the Bay of Isles with Prince Olaf Harbour, 

 angles to the peak having already been taken in both. The climb, although not very 

 difficult, was arduous when carrying the theodolite, and the wind at the top was fresh. 

 A round of angles was successfully taken and a cairn was built to mark the spot. In 

 addition the gap in the soundings alongside the hulk, now vacant, was filled in, as well 

 as one or two lacunae in the soundings of Cook Bay and some details previously left 

 over. 



It was decided to remain near Prince Olaf Harbour until a decision had been reached as 

 to the hire of a whale-catcher for certain purposes beyond the capacity of the 'Alert'. 

 During this time some details in the Bay of Isles were completed, and two additional 

 pairs of beacons were finished and fixed, to facilitate anchorage in South Bay, Prince 

 Olaf Harbour. 



On February 19, the day after our return from a short cruise in the whale-catcher 

 'Southern Pride' (see p. 332), the Sports Meeting for the Governor's Cup and other 

 prizes took place at Stromness, and all the party proceeded there excepting myself. 

 The sports went on until the following Sunday, January 21 , but were spoilt by the terrible 

 weather, notwithstanding the keenness displayed by the rival stations. I proceeded there 

 on Sunday, saw the finals and returned the same evening in a south-west gale. 



We had been unable to fix adequately a breaking rock off the Bay of Isles, and I 

 decided to do so on the next opportunity, besides taking a few more soundings in the 

 south-eastern part of the bay. The rock was fixed after some search and only 2! fathoms 

 found on it. It was called Rescue Rock, since had it not been there the ' Southern Shore ' 

 would probably have passed farther out and not seen our supposed signal. 



