FOUR Britons in an open boat have successfully crossed the icy

storm-swept Southern Ocean in a voyage which matched the exploits of

Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.

Shackleton's epic voyage, which took 17 days, was mounted in 1916 in a

bid to raise help for his failed trans-Antarctic expedition which was

forced to abandon its ship, Endurance, when it became trapped and

crushed by pack ice.

The modern expedition left Elephant Island on Christmas Day in an

exact replica of the famous 23ft whaleboat, James Caird, in which

Shackleton led an advance party of six to get help for their companions

stranded on the island.

Yesterday, Trevor Potts, the 43-year-old expedition leader, Victoria

Brown, 43, both from Morpeth, Northumberland, Chris Smith, 41, from

Bettys-y-Coed, and Robert Egelstaff, 44, from Cwm Penmachno, both in

North Wales, were resting with the British Antarctic Survey at Husvik on

the South Atlantic island of South Georgia.

The team landed on South Georgia after 10 days' sailing and, leaving

Miss Brown in charge of their boat, retraced Shackleton's steps across

the mountains, covering 40 miles in 36 hours until they were forced by

the threat of avalanches to turn back.

Shackleton's voyage is the most famous small boat rescue in maritime

history. On his 1914-16 Antarctic expedition his ship Endurance was

crushed in pack ice for nine months.

After drifting on ice floes for five months, the expedition escaped in

boats to Elephant Island. Shackleton and five others then sailed 800

miles to South Georgia to find help.