"Wasp" sailed south from New York on 1822. She reached the Falkland Islands late in October, after which Morrell spent 16 days in fruitless searches for the nonexistent Aurora Islands, before heading for South Georgia, where the ship anchored on . In his account Morrell wrongly records the position of this anchorage, placing it in open sea about south-west of the island's coastline. "Wasp" then headed eastwards to hunt for seals. According to Morrell, the ship reached the remote Bouvet Island on . He found this elusive island without apparent difficulty. Historian H.R. Mill notes that Morrell's description of the island's physical features fails to mention the island's most singular characteristic—it is covered by a permanent ice sheet. Morrell then attempted to take the ship southwards. He reached think ice around 60°S and decided to turn northeast towards the Kerguelen Islands where he anchored on .