John Cook

Ambrose Cowley's chart of Galapagos

A chart of the Galapagos Islands created by Ambrose Cowley while John Cook was unwell

Captain John Cook was a privateer and the captain of the Bachelor’s Delight. After stealing supplies from a number of South American coastal communities, Cook became ill and the crew steered the vessel towards Galapagos to find shelter. While Cook was ill, one of his crew, Ambrose Cowley, surveyed the islands and later published the first map of the islands. Cook died in July 1684. 

Glossary of Galapagos