In 1769 two ships set out independently in search of a missing
continent: a French merchant ship, the St. Jean-Baptiste, commanded
by Jean de Surville, and a small British naval vessel, the
Endeavour, commanded by Captain James Cook. That Christmas, in New
Zealand waters, the two captains were almost within sight of each
other, though neither knew of the other's existence. This is the
stirring tale of these rival ships and the men who sailed in them.
Cook's first long voyage was one of the most remarkable in recorded
history. He not only sailed around the world, following the most
difficult route any navigator had ever attempted; he also changed
the maps of the world. In heavy seas he made a more thorough search
for the missing continent-believed to lie somewhere between New
Zealand and South America-than had ever been made. He was the first
to explore most of the New Zealand coast and a vast stretch of the
east coast of Australia, and the first to explore the longest reef
in the world, the Great Barrier Reef. In Jakarta and Cape Town, and
in the seas between them, Cook lost a third of his crew to tropical
illnesses, after earlier saving them from scurvy. The ship in which
he circled the world was not much larger in area than a tennis
court. Along with the de Surville vessel, the sea was an arena of
international rivalry, for during his voyage Cook encountered
Dutch, Spanish, French, and Portuguese competitors and suspicions.
Geoffrey Blainey brings his marvelous storytelling powers to bear
on this fascinating and important adventure, drawing us brilliantly
into the lives of the major figures.
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