1788: CAPTAIN WILLIAM BLIGH, MATAVAI BAY, TAHITI: "THE DELIGHT THEY TAKE IN THIS AMUSEMENT IS BEYOND ANYTHING"

British sea captain William Bligh served as sailing master beneath Captain Cook during Cook’s third and final voyage to the Pacific, which began in 1776. In 1787, Bligh captained the HMS Bounty during its famously and notoriously fraught voyage to the South Pacific. This entry was written five months before Bligh’s subordinates, sailing home from Tahiti, mutinied. Note: surfboards, below, are ref...

Subscribe or Login

Plans start at $5, cancel anytimeTrouble logging-in? Contact us.