The 6th of August in the morning we saw an opening in the land and we ran into it, and anchored in 7 and a half fathom water, 2 miles from the shore, clean sand.

The pirates then raided Spanish settlements in Peru before returning to the Caribbean. Early life
William Dampier was born in East Coker Somerset in 1651. Sentence: Forfeit all pay due and deemed unfit to command any of HM's ships.

Others influenced by Dampier include James Cook Lord Nelson and Charles Darwin. Dampier has been described as the first natural historian of Australia and the greatest explorer-adventurer between Sir Walter Raleigh and James Cook.