On 18 January, the gale began to moderate and "Endurance" set the topsail with the engine at slow. The pack had blown away. Progress was made slowly until hours later "Endurance" encountered the pack once more. It was decided to move forward and work through the pack, and at 5:00 PM "Endurance" entered it. This ice was different from what had been encountered before, and the ship was soon amongst thick but soft brash ice, and became beset. The gale increased in intensity and kept blowing for another six days from a northerly direction towards land. By 24 January, the wind had completely compressed the ice in the Weddell Sea against the land, leaving "Endurance" icebound as far as the eye could see in every direction. All that could be done was to wait for a southerly gale to start pushing in the other direction, which would decompress and open the ice.