Captain James Cook by Rob Mundle

Captain James Cook by Rob Mundle

A biography that puts you on the quarterdeck with history's greatest sailor

Captain James Cook is one of the greatest maritime explorers in world history. Over three remarkable voyages of discovery into the Pacific in the latter part of the eighteenth century, Cook unravelled the oldest mystery surrounding the existence of Terra Australis Incognita - the Great South Land. He became the first explorer to circumnavigate New Zealand and establish that it was two main islands; discover the Hawaiian Islands for the British Empire; and left an enduring legacy.

Rob Mundle introduces us to an unlikely sailor in a teenage Cook, who, through the combination of hard-won skills as a seafarer, the talents of a self-taught navigator and surveyor, and an exceptional ability to lead and care for his men, climbed the ranks of the Royal Navy to acheive legendary status among all who sailed and mapped the world.

ROB MUNDLE OAM is a bestselling author, writer, and broadcaster who grew up on Sydney's northside, first in Cremorne and subsequently on the northern beaches. As a four-year-old, he began sailing in a small sandpit sailboat with his younger brothers, Dennis and Bruce, and the household cat. Rob was granted an Order of Australia Medal in 2013 for his services to sailing and journalism. He is a veteran media analyst and competitive sailor who is widely regarded as Australia's voice of sailing. Rob is the author of 18 books, including the best-selling Bligh, Flinders, Cook, The First Fleet, Great South Land, and Under Full Sail, all about nautical history. Fatal Storm, his book on the terrible 54th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, was an international success and was translated into six languages.

Rob has covered seven America's Cup matches (including live international television coverage of Australia's historic triumph in 1983), four Olympics, and a slew of other important events, including the Sydney-Hobart classic over the past 50 years. He has raced in the Sydney-Hobart three times and has won local, state, and national sailing championships, as well as competing in a number of important international offshore competitions. Rob is currently the media manager for the supermaxi Sydney-Hobart racer, Wild Oats XI, as well as a member of the organising committee of Hamilton Island Race Week, Australia's largest keelboat regatta, and a Director of the Australian National Maritime Museum's Mariculture Program. Rob was a founding member of the Hayman Island Large Boat Series and a past Commodore of the Gold Coast's Southport Yacht Club.

He is also the sole Australian on the Selection Committee for the America's Cup Hall of Fame. Rob lives at Main Beach, on the edge of the Gold Coast Broadwater, because he loves the sea and sailing.