By now it was mid-August, more than three months since Shackleton had left Elephant Island. Shackleton begged the Chilean government to lend him , a small steam tug that had assisted "Emma" during the previous attempt. They agreed; on 25 August, "Yelcho"—captained by Luis Pardo–set out for Elephant Island. This time, as Shackleton records, providence favoured them. The seas were open, and the ship was able to approach close to the island in thick fog. At 11:40 a.m. on 30 August, the fog lifted, the camp was spotted and, within an hour, all the Elephant Island party were safely aboard, bound for Punta Arenas.