The ships unmoor, but the continued calm keeps them in the harbour.

29 April 1843: Calm weather.

28 April 1843: Squalls of wind and rain.

Erebus's sailmaker is altering the foresail.

27 April 1843: Rainy weather.

McCormick goes aboard HMS Acorn to visit the commander, John Adams, an old messmate of his.

26 April 1843: Cunningham goes to the post office, but there are no letters.

HMS Samarang and HMS Thunderbolt arrive, but have no letters for the expedition.

25 April 1843: Cold weather and a brisk breeze.

Cunningham goes ashore in the afternoon to visit the post office. A batch of mail from England has arrived, but there is nothing for the ships' companies.

Erebus's crew are cleaning the fore hold and the bread room.

24 April 1843: Terror's carpenters are repairing the cutter.

An American whaler enters the harbour and anchors across Terror's hawser. Terror's crew are forced to veer the cable; Cunningham notes, "it caused us a good deal of Trouble".

23 April 1843: Divine service takes place on Erebus.

The portable observatories are taken on board and stowed away.

22 April 1843: Fine weather.

William Lewcock joins Terror from HMS Winchester, to replace Cleat as acting gunner.

Erebus receives a boatload of sand.

21 April 1843: Terror's crew return unserviceable stores to the dockyard.

Terror is swung to determine local magnetic attraction and compass variation.

20 April 1843: McCormick purchases an ostrich egg.

Arriving in Simon's Town around 10:30PM, McCormick spends the night at the hotel there.

Officers from HMS Winchester and HMS Lily examine four candidates for appointments as boatswains (Edward Mann and William Smith from Terror, and James Woodward and Edward Fawcett from Erebus). All four are found qualified to serve as boatswains.

The doctors at the hospital unbandage Cleat's neck, and find a mark of a previous wound. According to Cunningham, Cleat blames this previous attempt on "drink and the devil tempting him".

19 April 1843: McCormick returns to Simon's Town, observing two herons, a covey of partridges, and a secretarybird on the way. He shoots at the secretarybird, and blames his horse when he misses.

Admiral Percy visits Erebus.

McCormick explores Stellenbosch, visiting the Methodist missionary there.

18 April 1843: A very warm day with fine weather.

Erebus's carpenters are painting Ross's cabin.

Terror's crew are stowing the spare spars away.

Cunningham goes ashore to bring Cleat his belongings; he finds him awake and sensible.

17 April 1843: McCormick rides to Stellenbosch, despite an "old and stubborn horse, [which] I could hardly get beyond a drawling, walking pace".

Cunningham finds that Cleat has attempted to cut his own throat while drunk— "fortunately not affectually but he would have be[en] dead in 10 Minutes more". The surgeons sew up his throat and he is taken ashore to the hospital.

Divine service takes place on both ships.

16 April 1843: Fine weather.

Cunningham goes ashore to bring James Cleat, Terror's gunner, back aboard.

15 April 1843: Erebus's crew whitewash the lower deck and black the rigging.

Erebus's crew are repainting the ship.

14 April 1843: The ships continue to refit.

13 April 1843: Cunningham returns to Terror in the morning, and finds the ship "painted inside & out, and Smelling Very unpleasant".

Cunningham goes for a walk to a Dutch settlement.

Both ships are being repainted.

12 April 1843: McCormick goes ashore on an excursion to Cape Point.

Cunningham goes ashore on 48 hours' leave, and spends the night at the British Hotel in town.

Terror's crew are getting provisions aboard and painting the lower deck.

Erebus's carpenters are painting Ross's cabin.

11 April 1843: Fine weather.

Terror's crew begin scraping off the lower deck's paint in preparation for repainting.

Erebus's crew set up the main rigging.

10 April 1843: High winds all day.