Leaving Cape Royds we made our way up McMurdo’s Sound as far as Inaccessible Island, where we found the Strait frozen over from east to west.  Skirting along the edge of the sea ice I found there was no way in, although I endeavoured to break into it at several points to reach what looked like open water spaces a mile or two from the ice edge.  Accordingly, we stopped and I came down to report on the outlook.  Captain Scott, Wilson, and I eventually went aloft to the cross-trees and had a good look round; we finally decided to land and look at a place where there appeared to be a very good beach.  In “Discovery” days this spot was known as the skuary, being a favourite nesting place for skua-gulls, a sort of little cape.  I piloted the ship as close I could to this position, which is situate midway between Cape Bird and Cape Armitage on Ross Island.  An ice anchor was laid out and then Scott, Wilson, and I landed on the sea ice and walked a mile or so over it to the little cape in question.

It appeared to be an ideal winter quarters, and was then and there selected as our base.  Captain Scott named it Cape Evans, after me, for which I was very grateful.  Wilson already had a Cape named after him on the Victoria Land coast in latitude 82 degrees.

We now returned on board and immediately commenced landing motor sledges, ponies, etc.  For better working, once the various parties were landed, we adopted the standard time of meridian 180 degrees, in other words, twelve hours fast on Greenwich Mean Time.

We now organised ourselves into three parties and I gave up the command of the “Terra Nova” to Pennell till the ship returned from New Zealand next year.  The charge of the transport over the one and a half miles of sea ice which lay between the ship and shore was given to Campbell, whilst I took charge of the Base Station, erection of huts, and so forth, Captain Scott himself supervising, planning and improving.

We continued getting stuff out on the ice until late at night, and by dinner time, 7 p.m., we had put two motor sledges, all the dogs and ponies ashore, besides most of the ordinary sledges and tents.

Next day we turned out all hands at 4.30, breakfasted at 5, started work at 6, and landed all the petrol, kerosene, and hut timber.  Most of the haulage was done by motors and men, but a few runs were made with ponies.  We erected a big tent on the beach at Cape Evans and in this the hut-building party and those who were stowing stores and unloading sledges on the beach got their meals and sleep.  We worked continuously until 10 p.m. with only the shortest of meal intervals, and then, tired but contented, we “flattened out” in our sleeping-bags, bunks, or hammocks.