Lady Bridgeman, wife of the first Sea Lord, and Lady Markham hoisted the White Ensign and the Burgee of the Royal Yacht Squadron an hour or so before sailing.  At 4.45 p.m. the visitors were warned off the ship, and a quarter of an hour later we slipped from our wharf in the South-West India Docks and proceeded into the river and thence to Greenhithe, where we anchored off my old training ship, the “Worcester,” and gave the cadets a chance to look over the ship.  On the 3rd June we arrived at Spithead, where we were boarded by Captain Chetwynd, Superintendent of Compasses at the Admiralty, who swung the ship and adjusted our compasses.  Captain Scott joined us on the 4th and paid a visit with his “yacht” to the R.Y.S. at Cows.  On the 6th we completed a series of magnetic observations in the Solent, after which many officers were entertained by Captain Mark Kerr in the ill-fated “Invincible.”  We were royally looked after, but I am ashamed to say we cleared most of his canvas and boatswain’s stores out of the ship.  Perhaps a new 3 1/2-inch hawser found its way to the “Terra Nova”; anyway, if the “Invincible’s” stores came on board the exploring vessel she made good use of them and saved them their Jutland fate.  We left the Solent in high feather on the following day.

The “Sea Horse” took us in tow to the Needles, from whence H.M.S.  “Cumberland,” Cadets’ Training Ship; towed us to Weymouth Bay.  This was poor Scott’s last Naval review.  He had landed at Portsmouth and busied himself with the Expedition’s affairs and rejoined us at Weymouth in time to steam through the Home Fleet assembled in Portland Harbour.  We steamed out of the ‘hole in the wall’ at the western end of Portland Breakwater and rounded Portland Bill at sunset on our way to Cardiff, where we were to be received by my own Welsh friends and endowed with all good things.  We were welcomed by the citizens of the great Welsh seaport with enthusiasm.  Free docking, free coal, defects made good for nothing, an office and staff placed at our disposal, in fact everything was done with an open-hearted generosity.  We took another 300 tons of patent fuel on board and nearly 100 tons of Insole’s best Welsh steaming coal, together with the bulk of our lubricating oils.  When complete with fuel we met with our first setback, for the little ship settled deeply in the water and the seams, which had up till now been well above the water-line, leaked in a way that augured a gloomy future for the crew in the nature of pumping.  With steam up this did not mean anything much, but under sail alone, unless we could locate the leaky seams, it meant half an hour to an hour’s pumping every watch.  We found a very leaky spot in the fore peak, which was mostly made good by cementing.

On the 15th June we left the United Kingdom after a rattling good time in Cardiff.  Many shore boats and small craft accompanied us down the Bristol Channel as far as Breaksea Light Vessel.  We hoisted the Cardiff flag at the fore and the Welsh flag at the mizen—­some wag pointed to the flag and asked why we had not a leek under it, and I felt bound to reply that we had a leak in the fore peak!  It was a wonderful send-off and we cheered ourselves hoarse.  Captain Scott left with our most intimate friends in the pilot boat and we proceeded a little sadly on our way.