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chapter 17 The Journals of Captain James Cook on his Voyages of Discovery (1967) James King 1750–1784 James King, second lieutenant on the Resolution, then commander of the Discovery after the death of Clerke, captained a five hundred-ship convoy to the West Indies immediately after the completion of Cook’s voyage in 1780. He composed the greater part of his journals from Cook’s voyage after having returned to England from this latter trip. Despite his comment that surfriding was “only intended as an amusement, not as a tryal of Skill,” King’s vivid details support John Papa ‘Αî’s description of how expert surfriders practiced maneuvering their boards through dangerous outcroppings of rocks. Kealakekua Bay, Hawai‘i8 January 18–February 14, 1779 But a diversion the most common is upon the Water, where there is a very great Sea, & surf breaking upon the Shore. The Men sometimes 20 or 30 go without the Swell of the Surf, & lay themselves flat up an oval piece of plank about their Size and breadth, they keep their legs close on the top of it, & their Arms are us’d to guide the plank, they wait the time for the greatest Swell that sets on Shore, & altogether push forward with their Arms to keep on its top, it sends them in with a most astonishing Velocity , & the great art is to guide the plank so as always to keep in a proper direction on the top of the Swell, & as it alters its direct[ion]. If the Swell drives him close to the rocks before he is overtaken by its break, he is much prais’d. On first seeing this very dangerous diversion I did not conceive it possible but that some of them must be dashed to mummy against the sharp rocks, but just before they reach the shore, if they are very near, they quit their plank, & dive under till the Surf is broke, when the piece of plank is sent many yards by the force of the Surf from the breach. The greatest number are generally overtaken by the break of the swell, the 73 force of which they avoid, diving & swimming under the water out of its impulse. By such like exercises, these men may be said to be almost amphibious . The Women could swim off to the Ship, & continue half a day in the Water, & afterwards return. The above diversion is only intended as an amusement, not as a tryal of Skill, & in a gentle swell that sets on must I conceive be very pleasant, at least they seem to feel a great pleasure in the motion which this Exercise gives. 74 | james king ...

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