Did Captain Cook get sea sick?

Answer 1

I don't think Captain Cook got sea sick (motion sickness), but Admiral Nelson suffered from it his entire life. Apparently, he would say 'If you want to avoid motion sickness, go sit under a tree.' The moral of the story: unless you want to spend your life restricted to tree sitting, forget about it and get out there!

Answer 2

Captain James Cook faced some problems on his journeys, particularly his first major voyage to New Zealand and Australia's east coast.

Whilst in Tahiti, Cook's crew had difficulties with native stealing items from a fort he constructed for the storage of his scientific equipment. He was in Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus, and brought ashore an array of scientific instruments with which to accomplish his mission. The local natives had no qualms about stealing items which attracted them.

Following his scientific mission at Tahiti, Cook was joined on his voyage by a Tahitian chief named Tupaia, who wanted to travel, together with his boy-servant Tayeto. When Cook was circumnavigating New Zealand's North Island, a group of Māori in a canoe came alongside the Endeavour, and negotiated a trade of fresh fish. As Tayeto made his way to the canoe to accept the fish, he was grabbed by the Māori, who paddled off quickly with him. Cook's crew fired on the canoe, killing one Māori. Tayeto leapt overboard and was picked up by the Endeavour. Because of this event, Cook named the area Kidnapper's Bay.

Cook also struck trouble while charting Australia's east coast. Cape Tribulation, in far North Queensland, was so named by Captain Cook after the Endeavour struck the reef and nearly sank. The Endeavour managed to stay afloat for another week whilst the crew sought desperately for land, eventually sighting the harbour formed by the Endeavour River. The ship was landed on 10 June 1770, and Cook spent almost two months repairing it, thus giving rise to the fledgling township of Cooktown.

After leaving Australia and heading for Batavia, Java, Cook's crew was suddenly struck by health problems. Cook had successfully avoided scurvy, but was unable to protect his crew from dysentery and typhoid. Over thirty of Cook's crew died at Batavia or on the return journey home via Cape Town, South Africa.

Answer 3

James Cook's ship Endeavour did not sink, but it did run aground on the Great Barrier Reef, off Australia's northeast coast. Cook's crew spent several weeks repairing it.