Frequently the boats were tied to floes, or dragged up onto them, while the men camped and waited for conditions to improve.[74] Shackleton was wavering again between several potential destinations, and on 12 April, rejected the various island options and decided on Hope Bay, at the very tip of Graham Land. However, conditions in the boats, in temperatures sometimes as low as −20 °F (−29 °C), with little food and regular soakings in icy seawater, were wearing the men down, physically and mentally. Shackleton therefore decided that Elephant Island, the nearest of the possible refuges, was now the most practical option.[75]