Some highlights of the Endurance's voyage from London to Buenos Aires, as recorded in the journal of Thomas Orde Lees. Shackleton and Wild are not on board, so Captain Frank Worsley is in charge:
Lees and Worsley attend Catholic mass together at Madeira
Crew are arrested for fighting and property damage
Worsley borrows money from Lees
The German ship incident
The mainbrace is spliced frequently and liberally
"The only recognition of Sunday on board seems to be that no one plays cards"
Marston publishes a shipboard magazine
The cook is frequently "ill" (drunk) and can't make bread
"The captain is very indulgent + lets us wear anything or almost nothing if we wish"
LOTS of singing
"Crossing the Line": "We all went through it, those who had + those who hadn't including the captain + it really was great fun + cheered us all up"
McLeod gets "mad drunk" and tries to leap overboard, but is caught by Crean. "He then wanted to fight every one especially the captain"
Cheetham and McNish lick the condiment bottles at meals
In addition to Mrs Chippy, and a black cat with the usual name, there is a white cat "which always looks dirty + is very miserable called Imp—it ought to be called limp"
They run out of coal and have to burn everything flammable, including the spare mast and spars, chemicals, paint, etc.
They reach Buenos Aires several days late, but Shackleton and Wild are even later, so a scolding is avoided.
